Chapter 2 – Habits and Insights
About a week later, Richard found a memo in his e-mail inbox at work, informing everyone that the station would get a few new interns over the next months because the preparation courses for the Inspectors' Exams had re-commenced, and in order to enable the participants to get an idea of as many workfields as possible, all departments were 'encouraged' to accept assignments.
He sighed. Having interns was the pits. He had had one for a few weeks last year, and it had been a bit of a disaster. The young man had not really been interested in police work – he had only wanted to climb the ladder. That in itself wasn't a problem – the problem was that he had been careless and flippant, and it had been a nightmare to take him along to investigations. Richard generally didn't suffer fools gladly – he wasn't particularly patient with stupid people, but he was even less patient with intelligent, yet lazy people. As long as they were lazy at nobody's expense, he usually tried to ignore their behaviour, but in this case, he had been at the end of his tether very quickly. The cooperation had been very unpleasant – for both parties.
It had added to his already somewhat marred reputation of being 'difficult', hard to please and overly critical. Well, he was used to being categorised like that – pretty much the only place where people had let him be and respected his abilities had been Saint Marie. How ironic that he had been able to show his full potential on a small godforsaken island in the Caribbean – where nobody had been around to fully appreciate it.
Well, that wasn't fair – he knew that the Commissioner had praised him highly, and his team hadn't complained, either. There had been a somehow bewildering phase of mutual adjustment, and he had known that they were shaking their heads at him sometimes, but although Camille and he had had extensive shouting matches every once in a while and she had called him 'annoying' and 'childish', their cooperation had been perfect in so many ways.
He sat back for a moment and closed his eyes… Dwayne, Fidel and Camille had been the best team he had ever had. They had done overtime without wasting a thought on compensation when it had been required to get the job done – there hadn't been any complaints when it had taken them longer than the regular work hours to get a certain thing out of the way. All the extra hours that Fidel had put in to analyse and compare fingerprints, all the time that Camille had spent brooding over little pieces of evidence with him, all the strings that Dwayne had pulled to make his 'contacts' talk… they had all done more than their fair share of work. Granted, they had also known how to celebrate successes… Catherine Bordey's bar had been their locale, and he remembered the get-togethers there fondly.
Here, he sometimes joined his team in the pub next door after work – the 'Wild Boar' was a typical pub for the area, not too different from the 'White Hart' in Croydon where he had spent quite some time sitting in the snug and enjoying a pint of beer after work… but back then, he had often been by himself. At least this was different now – the team he worked with these days was perhaps not the best in the world, but in any case, he was well-respected. That had clearly not been the case in Croydon. Here in Islington, people might not love him, but he wasn't despised or ridiculed, either. He was regarded as eccentric and slightly whimsical, and he knew there was a slightly unapproachable air about him that discouraged people to try and impose on him, but he could certainly live with that – at least he wasn't being bullied any more.
He had been promoted to DCI half a year ago, and since then, he hadn't really gone out any more to do all the legwork that you had to do when you were a DI or a DS, but that didn't mean that he was bored. He still loved investigative work – puzzle solving, as he had always called it. But he had other things to do now as well – the administrative workload had increased with his promotion, and he had to supervise a team that consisted of two DIs and the adherent staff, plus there were meetings and other things on his agenda.
The Superintendent – Jack Morris (the team secretly had nicknamed him 'Chuck Norris' – although he didn't resemble the well-known Texas Ranger from TV at all…) – was a fairly lenient man in his late 50s, with a delicate stomach and a slightly yellowish skin that indicated a more or less obvious health problem, but he was apparently indestructible – he hardly ever got ill, and even when almost the entire team had been wiped out due to a bout of the flu last winter, he had been there and run the station together with Richard and less than a handful of others who had resisted the virus as well.
For a moment, Richard wondered if there was anything in the world that could ruffle Superintendent Morris. He had never seen him nervous or upset. He could be manipulative sometimes, but well, many people were manipulative, so it didn't bother Richard all that much. He could deal with that.
Well, whatever. At least he'd be safe from having to waste his precious time on an intern this year – as a DCI, he didn't have to bother with that sort of thing any more. This cup would pass from him… His two DIs would have all the fun!
It was mid-October. Camille Bordey was trying not to freeze her legs off as she was standing at the bus stop, waiting for the bus that would take her to the training centre. The first month of her training had passed, and she had realised that it wasn't quite what she had expected it to be. She hadn't thought that it would be so demanding, so complicated, so annoyingly full of details.
Of course, she had known there were all sorts of details that she'd have to learn. But then again, she had figured that she'd understand intuitively what most things would be about. It was now that she realised that – while the French and the British system had quite a bit in common – there were a lot of differences in procedure, and it was cumbersome to try and remember all the little things.
Obviously, she benefited from her service in the Saint Marie Police Force – particularly Richard had taught her a lot. He had been really nitpicky. Humphrey hadn't taken the time to point out mistakes she might have made – he just had corrected them without making a point of letting her know, so she noticed now that she had obviously made the same mistakes over and over again. She was angry about his carelessness now, but then she understood that most likely he hadn't really been aware of her wanting to do things right. He had just assumed that she did a great job as a detective and that fixing her minor lapses and mistakes wouldn't hurt him. Perhaps he had also been a bit afraid she'd react overly sensitive to getting corrected.
And yes, if that had been his fear, then he had had a point, Camille reluctantly conceded. She had made a song and a dance about Richard pointing out to her when she had used a wrong expression or spelled something incorrectly – at least initially. That had been when they had still been on somewhat hostile terms with one another… Richard, however, had been persistent, although – as she knew only too well – he had found her intimidating to a certain extent. He had known that she had her strong sides, but procedure and writing reports weren't among them, and he had kept telling her to be more careful and scrupulous.
She had called him pedantic and overly concerned with detail, but as a matter of fact, she had learnt, and with time, she had made fewer mistakes. She knew now, though, that she had made more mistakes again after Humphrey had taken over. He had just been too lenient and not accurate enough.
Camille now realised that from a professional point of view, she had grown under Richard's wings while she had merely kept up the status quo under Humphrey's 'leadership'. Richard had challenged her - he had pushed her to be ambitious, do more, work harder, simply by being the way he was. Humphrey's laid back manners had made her lazy – she had still been a good detective, but she had basically rested on her laurels and not made any efforts to grow and learn more. In the end, that had bored her, and all things considered, it had been a logic decision for her to leave – regardless of the 'Richard issue', as she called it, or the 'Humphrey problem'. She would have left in any case – she knew that now.
Several times when she had sat over a project for her training, she had remorsefully thought of Richard and his meticulousness – and silently apologised to him for going off like a rocket out of control when he had told her to be more accurate, to be more precise, to be more to the point, to be clearer. She had also remembered how he had sometimes pointed at something, how he had looked at her with his sharp green eyes, how he had very, very rarely smiled all of a sudden and come out with one of this deadpan remarks.
And whenever she had then started to think of how he had stopped in his track and given her the 'raised eyebrows' look when she had surprised him one morning in his pyjamas and advised him to sleep naked unless he wanted to die of heatstroke… or other little incidents… she had quickly diverted her thoughts into a completely different direction.
She didn't want to think of him, what he had meant to her, what could have been… and what she still felt for him, although she had worked so hard on forgetting him and moving on.
It was so unbelievably hard to get him out of her system… If she had thought that leaving Saint Marie where she was reminded of him at every corner would make it easier, she had perhaps been mistaken. He was just as present in her thoughts over here where everything was just so English… It was not that she was thinking of him constantly, of course, but he found his way into her thoughts much more often than she would have liked.
Well, things should get better now. The first module was finished, they'd receive their grades this afternoon, and they'd be informed about which district or borough or whatever they called it here they were assigned to. Digging her teeth into some real work would do her good! And she'd finally get away from the books and get out and about a little more again – at least until January… then her second module would start.
There was her bus… she hopped on, and as she held on to a safety handle, she began to make plans for the remainder of the day and the forthcoming weekend. She'd hopefully move out of her provisional guesthouse accommodation in November, so there wasn't much she could do in regard to cooking, decorating or other home-related activities. Since she wouldn't have to sit and study, she wanted to take advantage of the free time and go for a long walk, maybe she'd go swimming, too – a guy in her course had recommended a particular pool that apparently wasn't too expensive… It wasn't really near where she lived now, but checking it out would give her an opportunity to get more acquainted with the city and see places. And if it wasn't any good, she would not have to go back.
For the first time in many years, Camille had to watch her pennies – London was very expensive, and she had quickly noticed that it was out of the question to continue her Saint Marie lifestyle of eating out regularly, attending events and going to places. She had a pass for public transport, but restaurants and clubs were expensive, the museum pass cost an arm and a leg, too – plus she hadn't had the time to look into the whole thing so far -, the really good botanical gardens or other horticultural highlights weren't free - and fitness clubs were out of this world in regard to membership fees.
Also, she had had to buy more warm clothes than anticipated as she had found it unpleasantly cold over here and the guesthouse she stayed at didn't have central heating, but provided one of those gas-run heating systems that were a pain in the neck and didn't heat properly…
After it had become fairly cold during the second half of September, she had quickly started to use the training centre's library for studying – at least it was warm there. She had even taken along a flask with hot lemon tea or some other beverage and kept that in her backpack, so whenever she had felt like having a break and something hot to drink, she had gone out to her locker, taken out her backpack and sat in one of the corners of the cafeteria. That way, she didn't have to buy coffee there – she had noticed that not many people did as she did, and she was aware of perhaps coming across as a little stingy, but she didn't mind – she needed her money for other things.
With a slightly wistful smile, she remembered her long, enjoyable holiday before starting the course here in London… it had been so very good to spend time in France. She had been to Paris and visited friends there, and after a short stint in London, she had spent time in Brittany, visited her mother's birthplace in Normandy, and even spent a few nights in Belgium before returning to Paris and going back to London from there. Apart from the time in Paris, she had been on her own – she had stayed in small inns or 'gîtes', and it had done her good to spend time by herself and re-group. She hadn't travelled anywhere during her time on Saint Marie – with the exception of a week in Paris when she had done an IT class there, but that had seemed like a lifetime away – it had been during her first year of working in Honoré… So, it had been fun to discover new places – and she had enjoyed doing things at her own pace. And it had been so relaxing… she hadn't realised how much she had needed to get away from it all.
She had flown to Paris from Guadeloupe and spent a few days there before she had looked at different flats and houses in London - together with her friend Isabelle from Paris. They had found a really nice little flat to rent, but then the owner had changed her mind before she had signed the contract, and they had to start at square one again. Eventually, one of Isabelle's contacts had given them a hint, and they had found a place in Stanmore, which was much farther out than Camille liked, but she hadn't had much of a choice at that point.
It was a block of flats – which sounded worse than it actually was. It was a house with only 10 tenants – single people as well as couples and families -, so it wasn't too bad. The flat came furnished, and at least she wouldn't live more than a ten minute walk from the final stop of the underground – or was it the overground? She was confused about what Londoners called their tube. Whatever. In short, she could reach the tube on foot, there were bus stops everywhere, and she was confident she'd manage, even if it might be an adjustment. And it wouldn't be forever. She'd finish this course, and after a year or so she'd go somewhere else. She wasn't sure what the future would hold for her – whether she'd stay in the UK or return to the Caribbean… It didn't matter at the moment. She just wanted to successfully finish the course, and everything else would fall into place somehow.
Out of curiosity, she had checked where Croydon was since Richard had mentioned that he had worked there before he had come to Saint Marie - and she had nearly fainted when she had realised that it was quite far from where she would live, so if she was sent there… good grief! Then, however, she had checked timetables and bus routes and understood that wherever she'd have to go, it wouldn't take her much longer than 70 to 90 minutes (one way) to get there by public transport, no matter how far a place looked on the map. Some of the places closer to Stanmore seemed harder to reach as there were only buses running, so the amount of time she'd spend on public transport would be similar, no matter where she'd be assigned. It was obviously a far cry from the 10 minutes between her mother's house and the station in Honoré, but again… it wouldn't be forever, and living in a city had its advantages, too. She liked the hustle and bustle, watching all the people, taking in the atmosphere…
But because money was tight, she hadn't been able to do a lot of the things she would have liked to do. Never mind – walking did her good, and the London parks all were worth several visits – and they were free! Once she had saved up again a little, she could be a bit more generous again – she had had to pay a deposit for renting the flat, and there had been all the other unexpected expenses… It felt uncomfortable that she had had to go into her savings right away, but there hadn't been any way around it. It seemed that the others in her course didn't have the same problem, so she had nobody to discuss it with.
She spent a lot of her time on her own, anyway. It was not that she didn't want to get to know the others – it was just that most of her classmates were from the UK and went home on weekends or had their life here in London, anyway. Many of them had spouses who supported them, and they certainly wanted to carry on with their usual life. She was the only one from overseas, and that kind of singled her out. Being an outgoing person, she had become friendly with a few people, but she was usually on her own over weekends, and it felt a little lonely at times.
However, she had a goal, and she had Christmas to look forward to – she would visit Isabelle and Alain again over the holidays. That would be fun… and until then, she'd just have to plod along somehow.
Well, whatever… she'd find out today which station she'd get assigned to, and then she'd spend the weekend on fun things. She was determined to make the most of it!
She was delighted to see that she had passed this first module with flying colours. Well, more or less so – she hadn't reached the highest possible marks, but she had got close, and she was really pleased with herself. It had been hard work – and it had shown her that she had more to learn than she had anticipated. The French and the British legal system were based on different grounds – she had always known that, but learning how it affected all kinds of procedures had been an eye-opener, and she looked at things from a new angle now. There were hundreds of bagatelles that were handled differently. Of course, the broad strokes were more or less the same, but the devil was in the details.
Then, they received the notifications where they'd be assigned for their first internship. Barnet Police Station. That was where she was supposed to go. It was about an hour from where she lived now, so it wasn't too bad. She was glad that they wouldn't have to stay at the same station for every internship – hopefully, she'd be assigned to a more convenient station next time. From Stanmore, it would be 80 minutes to Barnet by bus, although it was only 20 minutes by car. Well, she would see if she could perhaps find someone who could give her a lift for sharing expenses - or some other option. They had two police stations, apparently, but she was assigned to the main one. One person in her course was assigned to the other station, as she found out. Well, too bad – she would have liked to share experiences with another intern, but no such luck… Well, she would survive.
She would have to report to Superintendent Angela Tyler – a female boss, now that would be different! Camille had always worked in mixed teams, and she was convinced that this was the most functional and efficient work environment. She hadn't minded being the only female in Richard's team, but it could have become awkward if the men hadn't been so uncomplicated (not that Richard had been easy to deal with at first, but well… he had just been rude, but not the condescending macho type that she had met in other teams), and in general, she preferred more mixed teams. It had definitely been a relief when Florence had joined the team – she hadn't been happy to see Fidel go, but having another female in the team had brought more variety and had changed the dynamics – and while Humphrey still had focused too much on her, Florence's presence had provided some distraction.
Two of her classmates were assigned to Islington, and others went to Southwark, Kensington and Bromley. There also was one assigned to Croydon – Camille couldn't help but wonder how Richard's former colleagues would treat him. He was an introverted small man, very earnest in his demeanour – if they had looked down on Richard, they would look down on Michael, too. But then again, Doug Anderson was gone, so there was hope that the team dynamics had shifted there, too.
When she noticed that her thoughts were drifting into this unwelcome direction yet again, she took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to direct her attention to something completely different. She'd phone her mother tomorrow in the early afternoon to let her know about her results – it would be morning on Saint Marie then, and there was a good chance they could talk a little without getting disturbed then. Catherine wasn't so keen on talking in the early mornings because she found it a little hard to focus after long nights, but she usually was awake enough between 8 and 9 a.m. They had skyped a few times for half an hour each time – with interruptions because technology had failed on them - but this time, Camille simply wanted to reassure her that she had received good marks and tell her she'd start her internship on the following Monday. They could always talk more elaborately at another time.
"Are you coming to the pub with us, Camille?" she heard someone ask from behind. She was on the verge of saying no again – it was almost becoming a habit! – but then she figured she had a reason to celebrate and a drink or two wouldn't do any harm – so she turned around with a smile and responded "Yes, sure – where are we going?"