Bit more case fic in this chapter, with a little more personal interaction between Humphrey and Camille in the next. Thanks for your reviews! Usual disclaimers apply

Chapter 16

Humphrey liked to think he was a relatively easy-going officer. He could be sympathetic to individual circumstances and, over the years, had been known to turn a blind eye to the occasional minor contravention. He'd waived the occasional speeding points when the driver quite clearly wasn't a repeat offender or given drunken youths a firm talking-to instead of arresting them. Even here on Honore, he'd gone easy on more than one young offender who might have otherwise found themselves with a criminal record that would have blighted their future. But that had been about it. When it came to more serious crime, his views were solid. Justice had to be done – and when the perpetrator was a police officer or a person in a position of authority, it was vitally important that justice was seen to be done. As a police officer Humphrey considered himself accountable to the community he served, and any of his officers who fell below that standard in their behaviour would soon find themselves at the receiving end of his rare bad temper.

More than once at the Met, his rigid sense of justice had led to him being approached to join the anti-corruption squad that investigated internal cases, but he found the very idea depressing. He wanted to think the best of his fellow officers and the senior managers – it might have been naïve, but Humphrey generally tried to see the best in everyone.

And now, here was Sir Selwyn Patterson, a much decorated civil servant in a position of trust and authority, actually confessing to a crime. He was admitting to the destruction of evidence that could have seen two people jailed for fraud – and one of them possibly even murder. And yet… when it came down to it, would he, Humphrey, have done anything different in the circumstances? What if he'd had a piece of evidence of that nature relating to a friend? What if it had been Camille facing ruin and potential punishment for one innocent misjudgement? Or Fidel or Dwayne or Catherine?

He glanced over at her. She was sitting forward in her chair, a frown of consternation on her face as she looked at Patterson, but almost as if she sensed the direction of his thoughts, she looked over at him. Her face was grave, but her usually emotive eyes were guarded and it was hard to tell exactly what she was thinking. As they looked at each other, though, she seemed to understand his internal turmoil and her eyes softened a little before she looked back at the Commissioner.

Patterson continued his story. "I knew it was wrong but I just couldn't put Clive and the boys through the trauma of a trial, to say nothing of the charges that would have been levelled at him as well. He wanted to leave Sainte-Marie and put all of this behind him. If he'd been dragged into a trial, the best case scenario would have been that he was found not guilty, but that could have taken months. And that was just the most positive outcome and not all that likely. So I kept silent…and he left a few weeks' later. My silence was the least I could do, in the circumstances. The boys were sent away to school and to their grandparents' during holidays, and Clive went to work for the Foreign Office. And that was that – or so I assumed."

He paused, as if inviting their comment, but Humphrey couldn't think of a single question to ask. After a period of silence, Patterson coughed a little uncomfortably and went on.

"He met Emma at the Foreign Office – she was a library student on placement – and they married three years' later. The boys would have been 17 and 15 then. They never really accepted her and cut themselves off from their father as a result. Of course, she was not much older than them at the time," he added reflectively. "Only 23 when they married and already pregnant with Edward…and Clive was 42 by then. I had my doubts and so did Bernadine, but I will say that the marriage seems to have worked well. She is very different to Donata. Far more reserved and very 'English' if I can put it like that."

"And his other boys - Julien and Joshua? Have they been back to Sainte-Marie since?" Humphrey asked.

Sir Selwyn paused, considering. "Not that I am aware of. Of course, by then, Clive was using his Sainte-Marie house for holidays only rather than as a permanent residence, so I don't know how much contact he has had with them in Britain over the years. I can tell you that Bernadine and I have lost contact completely. It was a terrible shame, as she and I viewed them as family. We were so close back then. They often popped into the Residence after school with our own sons. And my younger son David was particularly friendly with Josh – they were much the same age and temperament."

"And David and Josh haven't kept in touch?"

Again, Sir Selwyn hesitated. "If he has, he hasn't mentioned it to me." He spoke in a slightly firmer tone that suggested he would rather not discuss his son further, so Humphrey let it go. From what Camille had said, the Commissioner's two sons were not around much these days…and his wife was also notable for her frequent absences. He wondered whether their marriage had broken down in all but name.

"Sir, I was wondering -," Camille asked tentatively, "- do you have any idea why the Lawrences don't have pictures of Julien or Joshua on display?"

"I wouldn't know - you'd have to ask Clive and Emma that," Patterson replied, seeming surprised. "But why are you interested in Jules and Josh?"

"Oh, no particular reason. It's just that we don't have a very clear idea of them," she explained. "No photographs, apart from some grainy ones of Joshua on the Internet. And sometimes it helps to get the context if you see a photograph."

"Ah… I think I can help you there." He led them back into his office and went to his large old-fashioned filing cabinet. He pulled out a file and extracted some newspaper cuttings, dropping them on his desk to sort through them.

"I keep anything I see in the press," he said. "Partly because I'm a governor at the boys' old school, and they like to keep records of local boys and girls who have done well for themselves. We do tend to think of the Lawrence boys as 'local' as they spent most of their childhoods here. And partly, of course, because I knew them growing up and like to know how they are doing… Aha! Here we are."

He turned a couple of the cuttings around to face Humphrey and Camille. There was a report from the Financial Times with a picture of a smiling Julien Lawrence standing, arms folded, in front of his headquarters when he was appointed Head of Investment at Barclays Bank. The pictures of Joshua were harder to make out – there was one largish picture of him, having been caught with other members of the press in the corner of a photograph of a disgraced politician at the height of the MP cash expenses scandal. It was hard to get much of an impression, as he was wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his face. In another, taken from behind, his head was uncovered and his face turned slightly to the left, caught in profile. There was something a little familiar about that profile, but for now it eluded Humphrey. He could see that the adult Joshua was as blond as he had been in childhood.

"And here – look." Sir Selwyn had moved across the room to get a framed photograph from a bookshelf. It was a family photograph, taken when the boys were aged around 7 and 5.

Humphrey examined Donata with interest. She was, as Patterson had suggested, quite stunningly beautiful, with electric blue eyes and long, flowing blonde hair cascading down her back. The boys, he could see, were as white-blond as she was, although he supposed they might have grown darker as they got older. But he could see their resemblance to their younger half-siblings, which was ironic as both sets of children tended to resemble their mothers more strongly. It implied that Clive's second wife had been very similar in looks to his first, even if her temperament was quite different.

Humphrey paused. "Do you mind if I keep these with me? Or perhaps your secretary could take a copy?"

Patterson looked puzzled but held out his hand for the photograph. "Certainly, if you think it will help." He pressed a button on his desk to summon his PA; she appeared immediately and silently and took the photo and the cuttings to make copies.

While she was gone, Humphrey asked, "Sir Selwyn, can you tell me exactly what Ernest Nieto threatened you with? Was it to do with Clive Lawrence?"

The Commissioner nodded. "He said he had proof – his own copy of the documents that Jessica Law had sent to me. He said he could witness to the fact that I had been made aware of Clive's involvement and he accused me of destroying crucial evidence. He threatened to give the documents to a freelance journalist who is apparently on the island right at the moment. It would be enough to destroy Clive's reputation and I would lose my job and, quite likely, my knighthood as a result." He shook his head. "I had to pay him off – temporarily at least. I couldn't take the risk - not without consulting Clive first. So I wrote the cheque and told him to get off my property now he had what he wanted."

"Did he speak to Clive, Emma or the children while he was here?"

He shook his head. "Not that I saw – and I watched him until he left, as I wanted to make sure he had left. He was still dressed as a gardener, and I don't think anyone paid any attention to him. I then went to check on the Lawrences. I think Clive was arguing with his son about something. Then Edward walked away – I suppose it would be more accurate to say that he 'stormed off', as is that young man's usual habit - and Clive looked around and caught my eye. He followed me back into the office and we discussed what to do about Nieto. I contacted my bank and blocked the cheque immediately…in fact, for such a large amount, they would have contacted me anyway. Anyway, Clive was adamant about that – he was not prepared to submit to blackmail. The concern was that Nieto could make good on his promise – after all, he would not have as much to lose as Jessica Law. At least with her I have been able to keep a measure of control." He smiled, although it looked more like a grimace. "I have been unable to challenge her, admittedly, but equally she dares not challenge me."

"But…you must want justice for Donata?" Humphrey asked. "How have you managed to live on this island all these years, when your friend's potential murderer is free?"

Patterson was quiet for a moment. "I won't say it hasn't been easy, particularly in the early years. But I wouldn't act without Clive's permission, and he steadfastly refused to discuss it. And, as the years went by, I suppose I came to wonder what difference it would make -."

"Difference?" Camille exclaimed, sounding incredulous.

The Commissioner looked at her, a little ironically. "Would imprisoning Jessica Law bring Donata back?"

"No, of course not, but… but that's like saying that there's no point in charging the drug traffickers who sell the drugs that kill young people at parties or the dangerous driver who kills a pedestrian. Well, isn't it? If you take that view, why would we even bother to investigate crimes?" she demanded. "Don't get me wrong, Sir, I think I can understand why you took the decision that you did, but wouldn't you want to see Donata's killer brought to justice if we could manage it without bringing harm to your friend?"

There was a little smile of admiration on Patterson's face as he looked at Camille. "And that, Officer Bordey, is why you will one day be a DCI. I am certain of it." His expression darkened and he looked towards the French doors, a little muscle working in his jaw. "Yes, of course I would like to see that woman pay for what I suspect she did to my friend. It nearly killed me to stay silent. It…" he gave a small, rather bitter, smile. "I think it is fair to say that it nearly cost me my marriage at one point…"

He trailed off, looking embarrassed by the revelation, and Humphrey jumped in, quickly. "And now we have Emilia's killer to think of. Even if you discount what happened twenty five years' ago, a young woman has been murdered and we have a responsibility to find her killer, no matter who may be affected."

Patterson looked at him quickly. "So you agree with me that it is unlikely that her death is an unfortunate accident?"

"The evidence suggests that...but we don't know for certain that the cases are connected – yet," Humphrey said, firmly.

"But how can they not be?" The Commissioner sounded perplexed.

Humphrey could see his point. Nieto was a deeply unpleasant individual – the man's drug trafficking activities and callous treatment of himself and Camille could confirm that, but if you added blackmail to the mix…and then what if he'd actually been involved in Donata's death? He'd been working for Law after all, and seemed to know what had happened.

"Did you get the impression that Nieto had anything to do with Donata's death?" he asked. "I mean, did he say anything to suggest that he or Ms Law specifically were involved?"

The Commissioner hesitated, thinking it over. "No," he admitted, reluctantly. "I thought he might brag but…nothing. He has no love for Ms Law, that's for certain. He made it clear that he did not care what would happen to her if I refused to pay up."

"Which implies that he doesn't fear any trails leading back to him…" Humphrey mused.

"Or else he is arrogant enough to think he'll get away with it," Camille added. "He wasn't afraid of harming two police officers, was he? Even most hardened criminals will avoid the dangers of becoming a 'cop killer'. I believe he thinks he is untouchable."

"We need more on his background. Let's get Fidel onto Interpol again and see what we can find out about his time here before. Speak to anyone who worked with him. Did he have any friends? Why did he come here in the first place? What was his relationship with Law like?"

Sir Selwyn gave a little cough. "If there is anything I can do to help, you will let me know?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Sir." Humphrey nodded respectfully at the Commissioner. "We'll be in touch."

Sir Selwyn inclined his head gravely, his eyes not leaving Humphrey's. "Thank you, Detective Inspector." The words were heartfelt and it was clear that they were more than just a pleasantry.

As the PA handed them the copies of the photographs and showed them out, Humphrey glanced over his shoulder and saw the great man standing at his French doors, looking out at his extensive property, the fruits of his success. He cut a lonely figure and Humphrey wondered exactly what sacrifices Sir Selwyn had made over the years…and whether it had really been worth it.

Back at the station, Humphrey gave Fidel and Dwayne the bare facts – saying merely that it was now possible that there could be a link between Emilia's murder and the death of her father's first wife, and that the drug trafficker had been positively identified as Ernest Nieto. He didn't mention the attempt to blackmail the Commissioner, although he did say that Donata had been investigating Jessica Law at the time of her death and it was vital to try to trace the movement of her cars on the day of the first Mrs Lawrence's death.

He could tell by their faces that they weren't too sure of his evidence – Dwayne was a teenager at the time and remembered the case; Fidel had no recollection of it – but both believed that the specific section of road was notorious for accidents. They weren't keen to go off at a tangent when there was a more immediate matter to be dealt with – namely the continuing distribution of the dangerous drug.

"Look," he added, "it's possible that this is just a red herring, but let's check it out anyway. I can't really give you the full facts at this stage, but just trust me on this. I know you want to get that drug off the market as soon as possible. Why don't we ask Guadeloupe for extra resources? Fidel, get onto them tomorrow first thing and ask them to send over a drugs enforcement team ASAP. We haven't asked them for any extra help up to now. We need Nieto's house secured and searched for traces of cocaine."

"OK, Sir." Fidel scribbled a note in his book. "We've got all the Special Constables out on duty tonight – they'll be patrolling around the clubs handing out warning leaflets about the drug. And we've declared an amnesty for anyone who wants to hand anything in or give us any evidence."

"Good." Humphrey paused. "So…where are we now? Let's look at the priorities for tomorrow."

Camille pulled the case board out. The copy of the smiling photo of Emilia and her brother were stuck in the centre. Off to the side, someone had already added slightly grainy pictures of Daniel and Antoine Le Fondre, the two boys from the village, and had drawn a connecting line between Daniel and Eddie Lawrence.

Camille now added the copies of the photos they'd received from the Commissioner – the family picture of Clive, Donata and the boys, and the individual photos of Julien and Joshua Lawrence. Fidel also brought over a hastily printed mug shot of Ernest Nieto and a smiling promotional photo of Jessica Law.

Frowning at the board, Humphrey scribbled connectors between the three drugs traffickers and then between Nieto and Law. After a moment's hesitation, he also put in a line between Law and Donata and then dotted lines between Nieto and both Donata and Emilia.

Fidel stared at the two women. "They are very alike, aren't they? Considering she's the image of her own mother, and they're not related at all?"

Dwayne grunted. "I guess Mr Lawrence went for a very specific look in his women… What?" he demanded, as Fidel and Camille shot a look at him. "It's true, anyway. Look at the boys – they could be full brothers."

Humphrey stared at the photographs. "Yes…" he said, slowly. "They could be, couldn't they?" He stepped back a little, turning his head from side to side as he compared the photographs.

The adult Julien was just a touch more like Clive, but as for Joshua… the likeness to both Eddie and Emilia was extraordinary. There wasn't much to see in the two photographs of him, but that photograph taken from behind and showing the back of his gleaming blond head...

He felt rather than saw Camille step up alongside him. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she murmured.

"Yes, I think I might be…" He moved nearer again, gesturing at Joshua's photograph. "From the back, he could quite easily be mistaken for -."

"Eddie Lawrence," she finished for him.

Humphrey turned to Dwayne, urgently. "Dwayne, was it you who talked to that American girl at the party who saw Emilia arguing with a fair-haired man – what was her name again…?"

The DC pulled out his notebook and checked. "Charisse Williams – that was the one. She's staying in a backpacker's hostel on the main strip. You want me to track her down, show her a copy of that photo?"

"Please. And Fidel, can you work your usual magic with the computer – find out if anyone travelling as a freelance writer has arrived on the island over the last couple of weeks? You can check for Joshua Lawrence too, but I suspect it'll be too easy for him to be travelling under his real name. Camille, ring the Lawrences – ask Clive if he's had any recent contact with either of his older sons."

As the team sprung to their tasks, he turned back to the board, rearranging the photos so that there was a distinct square between Emilia and Eddie, Donata and her family, Joshua Lawrence and Ernest Nieto. He then drew a firm line between Joshua Lawrence and Jessica Law.

"Sir?" Camille called from her desk. "He says he hasn't seen Joshua for over two years. He admitted that they don't get on all that well. He saw Julien briefly in London last week before he flew here, and that was so that Julien could tell him that his wife is expecting a baby – Mr Lawrence's first grandchild. They didn't talk about Joshua."

Dwayne had taken a copy of Joshua's photograph and tucked it in his notebook. "OK, boss, I'm going to try tracking down Charisse, and then after that I'll do a quick round of the nightclubs and see how the Specials are getting on. Do you need me back here after that?"

Humphrey glanced at his watch; it was now after six. "No, that's OK – you get on home. We'll carry on tomorrow. Just ring me on my mobile to let me know if her identification is positive or negative. Fidel, anything yet?"

The young DS was bent over his computer, frowning in concentration. "You're right that no 'Joshua Lawrence' has arrived, either by plane or boat. No sign of a freelance journalist yet."

"OK – well, keep on with it for a bit longer, if you can – but don't work too late. I don't want to risk Juliet's wrath." He smiled at the thought of Fidel's wife and sweet little daughter. "As for me… I need to go home and change into something a bit smarter. Camille, would you care to go for a drink with me?"

She gave him a surprised look – it wasn't their usual custom to go to Catherine's on a Monday night, and definitely not during a case. "Sure…but why?"

He grinned. "Oh, I just thought we'd try going somewhere different. No offence to your mother…but what's the name of the main hotel that Jessica Law owns? The one that she's based at?"