S2 E4 – The Falling Out
Something's wrong. Ah, man, something's WAY wrong.
They don't talk to one another. They don't look at one another. They don't gently simmer for one another like they used to.
Something's wrong, all right, but what?
When did it start? A week ago? Two? It was during the Spa case. They'd been fine right up until then. More than fine, getting on, drawing close, maybe even getting ready to finally admit how they felt about each other but now something has happened and I don't know what. I'm a dab hand at romance and I know when a couple has hit a bump in the road.
Bump? More like a land mine!
It's painful to watch. She keeps trying and he keeps denying. I can see how her fun-loving ways have cooled and now she's just watching him with wary eyes. She knows something is wrong but not what so if SHE doesn't know then it must be the Chief.
He's changed his mind somehow. He was coming along fine, slowly changing his ways, coming to accept his lot here on the island and then BOOM! Full stop. Something about the Spa case or something that happened during the Spa case, whatever, he's back to his old ways again. With a vengeance!
Only 2 weeks ago we found out he's put in for another transfer! What a shock that was! He seemed so settled, happy even. Well, as happy as a man can be so far from home and in a totally alien environment. But still! Happy.
Camille took it particularly hard. She turned away when we heard but I was sure I saw the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. Damn the man! How can he hurt her this way? He HAS to know how she feels for him. He has to! No one is that oblivious. No one.
Well, come to think on it, maybe there is ONE man and that's the man in question. Yes, on quiet consideration, I'm sure the Chief is oblivious. It's the only thing that makes sense. He doesn't know how she feels about him so he can't make an informed decision.
Ah! Here's the Chief now, talking to the Commissioner there at the side of the road. Fidel leans out the Defender passenger window and flips the men a jaunty salute. I can see the Chief's shuttered look as we drive by. The man looks like he's trying to keep a secret but we already know. We know and we're not happy a'tall!
He's trying to jump ship. He's trying to abandon us. He wants to leave, after everything we've been through and everything we've done for him, he wants to leave. Well, let him. We'll muddle along like we've always done with all the D.I.s that have come and gone but, honestly, this betrayal hurts the worst. Worse than anything before.
Our Chief. THE Chief. How can he betray us like this? I'm not even in love with the man and it hurts! How must Camille feel? Gotta hand it to her, though, she's putting up a pretty good front. When the Chief comes up to us in the street there in front of La Kaz, she is right in his face. Apparently she's intent on dragging him to every tourist trap on the island today. Maybe if she gets him up the volcano she'll push him in. It would serve him right! Me and Fidel will just file a report and we'll get on with Life.
We make no bones about not wanting the Chief's help with the treasure site explosion. The man was pretty insulting about Le Clerc. What the heck are 'tree pixies' anyway? Whatever, let him keep his sneery English ways to himself. We can handle this on our own.
But, of course, it turns into a murder case.
Oh, man, why is nothing ever simple?
And the man does his usual magic and sees things that no one else notices.
Something happened during the initial interviews 'cause Camille is livid! The Chief is trying very hard to keep a poker face but he's smarting over something. If I was a betting man, I'd wager it has something to do with the babe in the bikini. I overheard something about 'ogling' but the fight was over before I could get close enough to hear. Whatever it was about, Camille is steamed!
Later, in the station when I had a moment to think things over, I wondered about Camille's trust issues. I know about her father, how he left her and Catherine in the lurch. The plantation murder case had brought that to light and here's the Chief trying to do the same thing. It doesn't take a Cambridge quantum physicist to figure out how this is very upsetting to Camille.
So. He's trying to leave and she's feeling abandoned.
WHY is he trying to leave? Up until a couple weeks ago, it looked like he was coming to see her in a romantic light. What man wouldn't? Except she's a fighter, a handful, showing everyone that she doesn't need anyone. The Chief is a quiet man, a book-reader, a tea-drinker, a bit of a recluse. How does a man like that rise to the challenge of Camille Bordey? Maybe he doesn't? Maybe he thinks he isn't up to the task? Maybe he backs off, gives up, looks for a way to retreat back to where he came from, back to safety and what he knows.
But it isn't the right solution. I know what the right solution is but how can I help when I don't know what's really going on? Oh, it's torture for everyone.
During this treasure case, as events unfold, I watch and listen to the coolness as it builds between them. The Chief hardly speaks. He lets Camille take the lead like he's grooming her to take over for when he's gone. When she attempts a bit of banter or friendly chat, he gives her long cold looks like he's not sure if she's professional or not. It's very hard to watch.
And his behaviour towards the Commissioner? Astonishing! He actually challenges the big man right there in front of us! Is the man TRYING to get fired or is he posturing in front of us to show dominance? Him? He's never acted all alpha like this before. Sure, he flaunts his brains all the time but that's not the same thing! Somehow the Commissioner seemed to understand what the Chief was up to 'cause he didn't raise to the bait! Matter of fact, the big man seemed to enjoy the battle of wits and insults. Maybe he doesn't have anyone to spar with, on the job like. There's talk of Mrs. Commissioner ruling the roost at home. Most big men have a VERY determined woman behind 'em so maybe he liked having a male protagonist for a change? Whatever, the image of the team wearing little pirate hats with parrots on our shoulders would have caused laughter in the before times but not now. The Chief is too intense to allow laughter now.
The Big Reveal is a bit of a relief. He seems to thaw a bit towards her. He listens and watches like he's evaluating her or maybe evaluating the whole situation, him and her, him and the island. It's hard to tell with him. I've heard others call him a 'closed book' before but I never really understood it until now. He's closed, all right, closed up and on a VERY high shelf. What will it take to open him up?
Turns out all it takes is French TV. Man! Things were going along OK until she frigged with his TV. I dunno who Fiona Bruce is but she must be a real babe to make Camille so jealous and the Chief so enraged. When he lit out chasing her down the beach, me and Fidel just stood on the veranda and watched 'em go. The chief's got quite a turn of speed for someone who works a desk job. The last we seen of 'em, they was disappearing around a spit of beach and outta sight.
Just as I was turning away I noticed something odd. She was running, looking back over her shoulder and laughing fit to drive a man mad and I reckon it worked 'cause he was seeing RED! I never seen a man so focused on mayhem that wasn't drunk or stoned or crazy out of his mind.
But.
Right behind 'em, following real close, was a weird whirlwind of sand and leaves and such. I'm almost sure it was going against the wind too, almost like it was following 'em or maybe urging 'em on. I dunno. Sometimes I see things, hear things, things that aren't really there. My granny used to say I had 'the inner eye'. She used to ask me to find signs for her in the clouds, the trees, the waves. She was real lucky with the lottery too, always buying me sweeties as a reward. She was an old woman and liked to tell stories to us kids.
When I saw this whirlwind I got a funny feeling that Fidel and I should leave so I talked him into driving me back to town and dropping me off at home.
I hope the Chief and Camille find a solution to their stalemate. I hope tomorrow brings good news on that front. Maybe I'll say a little prayer for 'em before I turn in but first I gotta close up all my windows. There's a real storm blowing up from the west, from the Chief's part of the island, almost like…
Almost like one of my granny's stories, the one about… um… uh oh…
Best not think about THAT particular story.
It has an awful ending.
The lovers burn so bright that they go up in flames.
Come to think on it, tomorrow could be interesting in all sorts of ways.
END