Thanks so much for your reviews, also thanks so much to the 3 guests who sent me a review! And I couldn't sent you a message back to say thank you.
This is an extra long chapter, hope you'll enjoy!
Chapter 2
Police station
Commissioner Patterson grinned as he had his arms crossed in front of his chest and looked at the two criminals that were behind bars sitting on the bed, staring up at him and his team.
"This is so nice. This is what you do the work for."
Dwayne looked up. He had done the work? HE had done no work at all in catching these two...Dwayne and Fidel had literally ran their asses off to catch them. He sighed as he eyed Fidel who was standing behind the commissioner.
The commissioner walked back towards the main office and then turned around towards his four employees.
"Team, mister and misses Shaw just told me that they were going to this big, arranged, very important party. Which I suspect will be more of a get together for criminals then something else... They are good fish but not the big fish." The commissioner said as he looked at Richard.
Richard frowned in confusion.
"We've been looking for a way to get to mister Robinson for years now. It seems that the Shaws are invited to this very fancy party of his. Very chique." Patterson said as he began to pace and walked past Camille.
"And also." Patterson said as he turned on his heels and gave everyone a stern look. "The robbery that has been committed years ago on our neighboring Island where there were taken lots of diamonds still hasn't been solved. I have it from good sources that Robinson is in possession of these diamonds."
He looked at Dwayne. "If mister and misses Shaw can impress Robinson maybe they get an in and can find out more about these diamonds. I don't suppose I have to explain how important these diamonds are?" Patterson asked as he turned around and glared at Fidel now.
"No sir." Fidel muttered.
I bet it's more important to brag about you getting these diamonds instead of the police force on the other island. Richard thought as he glared at Patterson.
"I want these diamonds." Patterson said as he smiled. "Or at least... Information on them. Because as of now, I only have hear say. And what does that need team?"
No one answered.
"It needs investigating." He said triumphantly.
"Mister and misses Shaw wanted to offer their services of robbers to the good mister Robinson. And I would just imagine he will pay them with diamonds? Who knows what's in the mind of that criminal." Patterson shrugged. "Something you will find out." He said as he eyed his team.
"Too bad that they're not attending that party." Dwayne commented.
"O, Dwayne, but they are." The commissioner said with a grin.
"Are they?" Dwayne repeated as he straightened himself and stared at his boss.
"They are?" Richard asked surprised. He didn't see how they would even get invited by one of the biggest criminals on this Island. They wouldn't even get close.
"I bet Camille would make an excellent Ms Shaw." Patterson said as he eyed her.
Camille straightened herself. She loved undercover work.
Richard looked at Camille.
"Dwayne or Fidel could pose as Mr Shaw. Her husband."
Richard looked from Dwayne to Fidel and saw Dwayne grinning. Dwayne gave Camille a flirtatious eye wink. And Richard felt annoyance wash over him. He didn't like it when some one else flirted with Camille. Apparently... Even if it was Dwayne.
"You'd be a wonderful wife!" Dwayne quipped as he grabbed her by her waist to dance with her shortly and then bended her backwards.
Fidel smiled.
"Yes right. And what am I supposed to do?" Richard knew he wasn't good at playing undercover but doing nothing wasn't his thing at all. He didn't look forward to being on the side bench in this. And maybe, if he put in the effort, he wouldn't be that bad at undercover work would he? How difficult could it be really? It wasn't for weeks at a time. It would just be one party?
The commissioner just looked at him, deep in thought.
'Why Dwayne?" Richard asked.
"Well..." Patterson looked at Camille for help.
'Dwayne has more... Sway..." Camille answered carefully.
"Sway?" Richard asked confused. What did they mean with that?
"Yes sway, Chief." Dwayne said as he grabbed Camille again.
'Dwayne!" She warned as she playfully swatted him in his chest.
'I know how to be her man." Dwayne explained his boss. "Wouldn't we have fun together?" He said cheekily as he gave her a big, fat wink and kissed her cheek teasingly.
"And I wouldn't know how to be her man?!" Richard asked insulted. Then bit his tongue when he thought about what he had just said. Camille gave him a surprised look. Followed by 3 pair of other surprised looks. "-For this undercover job." He quickly said as he averted his gaze and tried to avoid making eye contact with Camille.
'The pair is known to be very close and in love." Patterson explained.
'I've got the moves." Dwayne said as he hugged Camille. Camille laughed.
"It has to look real. Dwayne is more... How shall I put it... Suited for this job." The commissioner said.
"Well er yes... I'm not that good at undercover work anyway. The whole pretending thing... Is really not my game." Richard said as he walked back towards his desk. Feeling left out a bit.
"That's what I thought." The commissioner said as he nodded. This was arranged then.
"What kind of dress will you wear ma cherie?" Dwayne asked. He was enjoying himself too much.
"Low in the front... " He gestured towards her. "High on the-"
"-Dwayne." Camille warned him with a smile.
"Can't a man wish for his wife to dress in this amazing black, tiny cocktail dress?"
Richard had sat down behind his desk. He didn't care that the commissioner was here. Not being the lead in this case made him feel rejected. And he felt like sulking. And he didn't like the idea of him not partnering up with Camille. Especially having her play someone s lover. Someone else's lover. Even though it would just be a job, nothing more. He couldn't help himself. He just felt angry. Especially because she thought he couldn't be good at that job. She never even thought about him like that probably. Well, he wasn't as smooth as Dwayne. He had to admit that. But surely, he could play her husband? Or lover? He studied her frame and then looked away quickly. If only he wasn't so stiff. If only he was good at 'wooing' someone, if he had more sway like Dwayne, if only he had more charm... Would she see him then? He chastised himself immediately. What was he thinking? This was highly inappropriate. This was a job, nothing more, nothing less. He wasn't supposed to think of her like that. They probably would never match really well. They'd fight each other out of the house. The making up would be so good though... She would apologize and kiss him and would grab his blouse and... He stopped himself immediately. Where were all these heated thoughts coming from? Was he finally getting crazy? It was a possibility...
"I'm glad you're amusing yourself. Just remember this isn't real." Richard noted chagrined. Dwayne talking about Camille like that and touching her like that... While he couldn't, while he had so much trouble with that, that annoyed him. He cleared his throat.
"Right, yes."
"Uhm, there is a problem."Fidel said as he came back from the prison.
"What?"
"Mister Robinson has never seen the Shaws, but he does know that Mister Shaw is inside joke of him getting burned one afternoon. So we need a white male."
All eyes went to Richard.
"And do we have a white male?" Richard asked as he was thinking deep.
Patterson now turned towards him. "Do we?"
Richard went by all the options but couldn't think of one.
Patterson raised an eyebrow.
"Ahh commissioner... I don't know if this is such a good idea..." Camille began as she read the Commissioners mind and dreaded what he was thinking.
He turned his big body towards her. "And why is this, detective sergeant?"
"Well ahh..." How to put this without insulting Richard? "He doesn't have any undercover experience."
"Do you not?" Patterson asked as he turned towards Richard.
"Well I..." Richard said as he straightened his tie. Maybe this was his chance after all. He should grab it and step out of his comfort zone for once. "I did play in theater when I was younger and I could be quite convincing."
"As a husband?!" Camille blurted out.
"What?" Richard asked insulted. She really didn't think he could be a good husband?
"You will have to play my lover." She reminded him and hoped that would scare him off.
Richard looked her up and down and then swallowed. He started to doubt himself again. Maybe he couldn't pull that off? "Yes well... Uhm... That might be... Tricky." He could almost squirm under Camille's stern gaze.
'What is so tricky about that?" Patterson asked confused as he looked back at Camille.
"Well, er... "
'It's that English stiffness." Camille mumbled.
Richard gave her an angry glare. That woman! But he felt even more insecure immediately. The power she had over him... It frightened him. She could turn him into a shivering pathetic mass in seconds. And he hated that.
"There is no one else in Saint Marie?" Camille asked worried.
"Not at this moment no."
'Sir, I really don't think that this is a good idea." Camille began again.
'And why is that?" The commissioner asked impatiently now.
"As I said... You... Well..." Camille gestured towards Richard. "We don't really seem like husband and wife. Or as lovers do we? Anyone could see that."
'Well, then it seems that you just have to practice."Patterson simply said.
Camille's mouth fell open. "Practice?" She repeated flabbergasted with big eyes.
Dwayne covered his mouth not to laugh as Fidel looked away and was biting his cheek hard. Richard had frozen to his desk, wasn't blinking anymore.
"How do you mean practice sir?" Richard managed to ask in a small voice.
"It's just not in his character to be all open and loving." Camille told Patterson heatedly. How could they practice that? That wasn't something you could practice!
"What?!" Richard asked insulted as he gave her a glare. That must be the biggest insult she'd ever thrown at him! He felt hurt instantly.
"I'm sorry, I don't want to insult you. But this can be a dangerous job. Commissioner, surely you can see that I need a safe partner on who I can count."
'I'm safe." Richard muttered icily.
'You are stiff, you can't even dance. " She threw at him as she gave him a fierce look. She walked towards him and put her hands on her hips as she eyed him. "Can you even pretend to be in love with me and show it?" She asked.
Richard looked at her flabbergasted. If she only knew...
Dwayne pressed his lips together again. This was just too much of an enjoyable show. But laughing at this would probably cost him his job, and a limb or two if he saw how Camille's temper was starting to rise. And also, he did see her point. It could be dangerous.
'Thats what I thought." She looked back at the Commissioner. "l don't think this is a good idea. Maybe we should let the real Mister Shaw..."
'-No, we have him behind bars, I'm not going to risk him running." Patterson said. This catch was too big to let go again. He wouldn't risk that.
'I won't let him go." Camille said.
'You will have other things on your mind detective sergeant." Patterson said as he thought deep about this.
'Richard can't." She told him again.
'You will go and practice, and then we will discuss this further.' The Commissioner ordered.
'Practice? How do you see that happening in real life?"
The Commissioner took a deep breath as he crossed his arms in front of his chest again. "The two of you didn't want to work with each other before either." He reminded her. "What was it you said?" He stared at Camille.
She didn't answer, just looked at him dumbfound. Not knowing what he meant.
"Well?" He prodded.
'That we couldn't work together." Camille muttered softly when she saw where the Commissioner was going.
'And what happened after that?" The commissioner spelled out.
Camille didn't answer. She was almost pouting, feeling like a little schoolgirl now. Angrily, but caught with her hand in a cookie jar.
"Well?" He prodded sternly.
'We do work together." Camille muttered annoyed in a low tone.
'And?" He prodded even more as he gave her a very stern look.
'And what?" She asked flabbergasted as she looked up at him.
'You work together very well! So you two will go and find a way to do this job marvelous because I want results. And you.' He twisted towards Richard. "You will practice and show me you can do this. It is just pretend. Doesn't seem that difficult to me."
Patterson turned on his heels and looked at Dwayne and Fidel who were still trying not to laugh.
"Team, you've got work to do." He stated as he left.
Richard let out a big breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"Well, chief, start the loving." Dwayne quipped as he was finally able to show his smile. Fidel laughed out loud, but they both froze when they received two very angry and warning looks.
La Kaz
"Can I join you?" Kris asked when she saw Dwayne, Fidel, Richard and Camille sitting on the terrace of la Kaz. "Or are you still working?"
Fidel shook his head tiredly. He felt drained.
"I think we're finished for today." Camille said in a low unsatisfied voice. Talking all afternoon about what their roles should be, who was who, who was expected to come, what strategies to take, it had been a little bit too much. Coupled with her worry about how to get Richard to play a good undercover roll..
"We missed you at dinner?" Camille said.
"Uh... O? I sent you a message?" Kris replied surprised as she sat down and gave the men a friendly smile.
"You did?" Camille asked as she checked her phone. "Ah Oui. I must have missed that. It was a busy afternoon." She explained.
"You do look tired." Kris commented as she studied Camille's face shortly. "O pffffff.." Kris sighed as she stretched herself. "I have to admit... The heat is really getting to me." She sighed as she took a menu and began waving herself some cool air.
Richard looked at Camille at that. Nothing was coming. No remark, no warning, no annoyance, no irritation. Nothing. The French woman just sat there. Relaxed, and tired.
"What?" Camille asked as she felt Richard glaring at her.
"She gets to say that? Just like that?" He asked annoyed as he looked pointedly from Kris to Camille.
"So?" Camille asked, not understanding.
"When I say one thing about the heat you're all over me, when she says something your reaction is normal, as it should be."
"O please! You don't say one thing, you say it a thousand of times until my ears fall off. Over and over again. And then you start all over again, if that's even possible. As if we aren't feeling the same heat! And Kris just arrived yesterday! She still needs to adjust to the heat." Camille muttered annoyed but too tired to put up a bigger fight.
"Well, what if adjusting is just not a possibility?" Richard stated.
Camille rolled her eyes. "If you would make some effort." She said as she looked at his suit pointedly. "Richard blames the heat for feeling hot but he insists on dressing like it's winter in Antartica." Camille explained to Kris.
"So what brings you here exactly?" Fidel asked. "Camille told us you're a detective too? From England? But you're Dutch?" Maybe changing the subject would work. The two had been at it all afternoon and if it wasn't bickering and fighting it was glaring and shooting daggers, tension shooting from one side to the other. It was just too much...
"O, yes. We just finished a case and I hadn't had a vacation in a very long time. So I was able to take a month. But I also studied psychology, and I'm thinking of doing something more with that." She looked at Camille. "We met in Paris to study and then I went back to England where I grew up since my teens. But I was born in the Netherlands. I live in England now."
"So you like traveling then?" Fidel asked.
Kris nodded. "I do. It really was an experience; living in different countries, studying in Paris. And it's all quite nearby. And being here really does something, it relaxes me instantly. The sea, the sun. But I have to admit; I need the sea to cool off with these kinds of temperatures. I don't know how you guys get any work done with this heat."
"Can I bring any of you still something?" Catherine asked as she breezed by.
"Some tea with milk please." Richard asked.
"O that sounds good. Makes me think of home. For me too please." Kris said enthusiastic as she looked up at Catherine to meet her firm and angry gaze.
Kris's eyes grew wide and innocent at that. "Is there something wrong?" She asked surprised.
"Did you have a nice dinner Kris?" Catherine asked as she started to clear the table and refused making eye contact.
"I didn't really have dinner. I saw this little place where they had fries and hamburgers and I just couldn't resist. The smell alone is intoxicating." Kris told the rest enthusiastically. When she met Camille's gaze she followed it up to Catherine again to be met with a cold, hard stare.
"How nice." Catherine snapped as she left.
"It was this little place surrounded by palm trees, do you know it by any chance?" Kris asked.
"Do you mean Henri's food palace?" Dwayne asked.
"Yes, I think so. I didn't look at the name to be honest."
"Beer for Dwayne, Beer for Fidel, Beer for ma cherie, Tea and milk for Richard.."
"O...?" Richard said surprised. He finally got milk again?
"Tea for Kris." She finished somewhat angrily.
"No milk for me?" Kris asked but Catherine was already stalking off.
Richard looked from his tea to Kris's tea.
'Well, I think I just moved one step up at the ladder of your mother liking me." He told Camille as he grinned. "And she moved on to punishing you instead of me." He smiled at Kris.
Kris looked at him in confusion.
"Maman is angry with Richard lot's of times. She will not serve him milk then." Camille looked at Richard.
"Among other things..." Richard complained softly.
"He insults her a lot of times." She explained.
"I didn't insult her." Kris uttered surprised.
"Ehhh? You choose fries over Catherine's cooking?" Dwayne reminded her.
Fidel chuckled at that.
"What...? But... I can't eat here everyday. I don't want to be a bother. She made breakfast for me too. And Henri's food place was nearby..."
Camille shrugged. "Suffer the consequences."
"Well, that's at least one upside to your visit for me then." Richard said as he smelled his tea with milk and took a sip.
"One upside?" Kris repeated. "Only one?" She looked around the table with open mouth. "Woow, you lot really are one friendly bunch, aren't you? And I sent you a message about dinner." Kris said to Camille still astonished and rather shocked.
"So I kind of told her that I wasn't coming?" Kris clarified.
"I'll tell her it's my fault."Camille shrugged. "You know maman. It'll blow over."
"Yes, in about a few months..." Richard mumbled as he enjoyed his tea.
"I'm not staying months. She took your milk away for that long?"
"Yes she-" But before Richard could start his rant he got cut off by Camille.
"-Richard really behaved badly. So she was right to do that." Camille spat.
Richard sunk back in his seat.
"O really, what did you do?" Kris asked curiously as she smirked.
Richard's green eyes looked up at Camille carefully. Trying to measure her. It had been a straining day, it felt like they'd been pulling and pushing at each other, sometimes too much. He had to remember that he had to work closely with her tomorrow, too closely maybe...
Fidel shook his head. "I wouldn't..." He advised.
"O come on... I love a good story." Kris prodded.
"You should really know when to stop." Fidel suggested.
Dwayne shook his head now too, warning her.
"I only get more curious now...!" Kris said as she frowned and eyed Richard.
"I didn't do that bad a thing.." Richard began in his defense as he sat up straighter now and looked at Camille. "I was sick you know. She was force feeding me."
"She was NOT force feeding you." Camille snapped warningly as she sat up straight instantly, all tiredness seemed forgotten as anger built up in her body.
"O no... Now you've started it..." Dwayne mentioned between gulps of his beer.
"O were you there then? No! In such an important moment you were off... Following some course in Paris!" Richard snapped.
"How was I supposed to know you would get the flue? And so what? I'm not your nurse! May I go on a course for a week for once too?"
"Of course you may, your timing just isn't very-"
"-Are you accusing me of-"
"-Ahhhhhhh... " Kris blurted out, interrupting the two. "Catherine was taking care of you? So sweet. What did you do?" Kris piped in and asked Richard.
Camille clenched her teeth and sent Richard a glare.
"I was sick so I didn't do anything." He said.
"O so you did! You meddled in with the case while there was someone else leading the investigation!" Camille snapped passionately.
"Again, you weren't there. So you've got nothing to say about this..." Richard countered.
"O I heard the stories!" Camille bit at him.
"Stories indeed." Richard heaved his chin and gave her a defiant, arrogant look.
"He manhandled my maman." She blurted out as she looked at Kris, ignoring him on purpose.
"I did not!" Richard defended himself.
"She was taking care of him everyday." Camille explained.
'Bringing me retched chicken soup! Making me even sicker."
"She did not! It helps! It soothes you!" Camille snapped as she frowned and threw Richard a warning glare.
"It does not soothe you, it didn't soothe me!" Richard went on, not picking up on her warning body language at all. "Do you even know that the tree Fidel fed the chicken soup to is sick now and might be dying?"
Camille looked at Fidel with a warning look.
Fidel put up his hands. "I was ordered to ditch the soup..." He said softly.
"Do you even know what soothing is?" Richard asked incredulously.
"Excuse me?!" Camille snapped with wide eyes. "Are you asking me?"
Kris pressed her lips together to not laugh out loud as she looked at Dwayne and Fidel who looked away and tried not to laugh either.
"If I know one thing it's how to soothe someone!" Camille barked at him.
Kris coughed as she swallowed her tea the wrong way and then couldn't hold her laugh in anymore.
Camille gave her a look and Richard's eyes were on her too.
It was just so funny to have these two jump from one subject to tens of other subjects in which they got stuck so there would probably never be an ending to their arguing.
"O really? Your friend doesn't seem to agree." Richard stated.
"Don't pull me into this." Kris said.
"Well I kind of warned you..." Dwayne piped in softly.
"Kris knows full well that I can soothe someone!" Camille snapped.
"Does she? Does she really?" Richard snapped.
Kris looked from one to the other. "I guess I'm going to go find Catherine and try to make up-" Kris said in a soft tone as she stood up. But Camille grabbed her arm to stop her and forced her back down.
"Some help would be nice." She commented.
"O..." Kris looked at Richard and then at Camille. "I think you two don't need anyone's help to fight."
"They do with the making up part." Dwayne mumbled.
"What was that?" Richard asked, having not heard him fully well.
"Nothing chief, nothing."
"Yes, Camille can be very soothing Richard." Kris stated in a robotic, funny tone as if she was ordered to say just that. Then she looked at Camille. "Could that carry away your satisfaction?" She then asked immediately after that, making Dwayne and Fidel laugh.
Camille gave her a glare.
Kris shook her head. "What are you really asking me now Camille?" She asked.
"I'm not asking anything. Richard was stating that I can't be soothing to someone."
"That is not how I stated it at all!" He snapped. "You're twisting my words around again, as usual."
"What was your question?" Kris asked as she looked at Richard.
"I didn't have a question thank you very much. I was merely stating that I doubt Camille's ability to be soothing if she thinks that chicken soup is an example of soothing someone." Richard stated.
"Well Richard. In my humble opinion, and I have met quite a lot of people in my life, very nasty people also, but Camille is quite capable of soothing another person and she has soothed me lot's of times in the past."
Camille nodded pointedly at Richard with an air to it.
Richard huffed.
"Therefor..." Kris started as she leaned towards Camille and put an arm around her shoulders. "Beneath this cool and sturdy exterior lies a very caring, soft and very sweet, loving personality which really deserves a lot of loving." Kris stood up and stood behind Camille as she caressed both her upper arms. "She loves to bark, if someone could only look beneath that?" Kris said as she gave Richard a pointed look. Hoping he would take the hint. "That one might find a very passionate, loving, caring woman filled with goodness, who is extremely capable of soothing." Kris finished as she kissed Camille's cheek and wondered off leaving them to it, with this loaded message.
Camille had frozen to her seat and her cheeks had colored pink slightly as Kris's words hung in the air heavily. She didn't know whether to be angry with Kris, or to receive her words as a compliment. It felt vulnerable, like Kris had lifted up her armor and summarized everything beneath it in just a few words for Richard. It probably served her right for pulling Kris into their argument in the first place...
Richard just stared at that.
"She was joking." Camille clarified once she had her voice back.
'Ahaa." Fidel said.
"Yes. I might imagine so." Richard said as he took a sip of his tea. "Although, the barking thing... You do bark a lot." He mentioned as he hid his smile behind his tea cup.
"She just talks a lot." Camille explained. "That's an English thing." Then she looked up at Richard who looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Ehm... A Dutch thing? I forgot. The English are stiff. Or maybe just the men? You know... All emotionally repressed and things like that..She's half Dutch."
"O, like you're half French? Right." Richard muttered. Like that existed!
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Camille snapped as she remembered him telling her that half French didn't exist. Another one of his annoying remarks...
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