Chapter 6 – Plans and Schemes

"Bye sir, see you tomorrow!" Richard looked up as Constable Collins greeted him and gave her a brief nod. He stood in the little kitchenette and made himself some tea. He couldn't go home yet, there was still too much work waiting in his office.

It wasn't even that he was behind with his work because he had talked extensively with Camille – actually, that hadn't happened. She had given him a brief rundown on the latest developments on Saint Marie, explained about Fidel's move to St. Lucia and described how the Commissioner had encouraged her to do the course here in the UK – "he realised that I felt a little stalled in my position there and thought I might benefit from this course… it can't hurt to expand one's horizon, you know."

After the initial shock had been overcome, they had made an effort to talk naturally, and he had started to tell her about the station as well as about the work and projects they were currently busy with. He had introduced her to the team, and then she had started looking through the files he had given her. He had felt like he was standing beside himself, watching his every move so he wouldn't betray his feelings.

He had returned to his office then, in a daze. This all felt so unreal, yet he knew that it was real – and he had no idea how to deal with it.

He had sat there behind his desk for quite a while then, lost in memories… of how she had always adapted to his working rhythm, of how they had been in sync, of how they had exchanged banter and jokes… yes, it had been fun working with her back on Saint Marie. Once again, he had wondered what could have happened if he had stayed… It had been painful, yet he hadn't been able to stop himself.

And he had realised that no matter how much time had passed – he still felt the same way about her. He should have known it – the way he had reacted last week when he had assumed she was perhaps married with a family had spoken volumes…

At around 5.30, he had told her to go home. She had nodded and disappeared, not without saying goodbye, but there hadn't been any particular warmth in her behaviour… no twinkle in her eyes, no suggestive remark, nothing…

He sighed and hated himself for his weakness. He was a fool to pine for her like that. And he thought wistfully that there was truth in the saying you should be careful what you wished for… he had wished to get the chance to see her again, he had been almost obsessed with her… and now that he had seen her again, everything that had been between them had apparently never happened, they had been polite like strangers, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Or so it seemed, at least…

How ironic – when he had left Saint Marie, it had been her who had made a move and shown him her feelings… And now, she had obviously forgotten all about it. Or maybe it embarrassed her?

Well, he hadn't got any younger, obviously. He was well aware of his thinning hair and the deepening lines in his face… Most likely, she wondered what she had ever seen in him.

As far as he was concerned, he found her even more breathtaking now than ever before. When she had stood there in front of him in Morris's office – lithen and lissom, so very beautiful in her fashionable and classy, yet unassuming attire – he had been stunned. She had always looked amazing in red… And the combination of black and red was irresistible on her. That hadn't changed… However, she seemed even slimmer than she had been on Saint Marie, her cheekbones seemed more defined, and she appeared a little more prim or 'farouche', for lack of a better word… but maybe that was only because the environment around here was more starchy and formal, so she had adapted instinctively.

And now he'd have to see her nearly every day until Christmas… He wondered how he was going to survive that. And even if they still had feelings for each other – and it seemed like a very big if on her side… he was her supervisor, he would have to write a reference letter and a report on her… how would anybody take that seriously if they knew that he was attracted to her?

And, of course, would anybody take his report seriously if they knew they had worked together before, on a small Caribbean island where the climate was muggy and humid and people walked around in shorts and bikinis?

Colleagues had asked him if it was true that the non-fraternisation rules were neglected over there and had made jokes at his expense. There had been assumptions about him being surrounded by seductive island beauties – and he had had a hard time silencing the gossip and innuendos.

So, wouldn't people say that his report – which would certainly praise her (because her work would be good – he knew that already… Camille had never disappointed him, and she would want to prove to him and everybody else that she was a good copper…) – wasn't neutral and objective, anyway? They'd all say he was prepossessed for her, and they'd be right – he was 'parti pris'.

There was only one thing he could do: He'd have to get her out of his report line.

He knew that appealing to Morris's common sense would be useless as long as he didn't have a good alternative – Morris was just happy to have his staff issues resolved, and he didn't care one bit about Camille's report and how it might ruin everything for her – no matter what he'd write, it would always backfire one way or another.

With a frown, he turned to go back to his office. He'd think about all that later. Right now, it would do him good to delve into his work and forget about Camille for a moment…

Camille listlessly picked at her salad. She had had lunch with a few people from the team and saved her salad for dinner. The sandwich she had had for lunch had cost her an arm and a leg, and with a frown she remembered the prices over on Saint Marie – people there didn't rip off their customers like that. Of course, London also was expensive for shop-owners, rents were high, and somehow the money had to come in, but still…

She began to eat, trying not to think – but she failed miserably. It had been such a strange day, she couldn't help but replay certain scenes in her head.

It had been a shock to see Richard again – and to realise that she still felt so strongly about him. She had felt empty and numb after she had understood that time had only let her wounds heal on the surface – and that one look from him had ripped them open again. How would she survive working with him for over two months? She admitted to herself that she had wanted to see him again, but not now, not like this, not as his subordinate again…

She was also disappointed with herself. Usually, she was quick at repartee, but today, she had been almost as tongue-tied as Richard had been on Saint Marie sometimes. With a crooked smile she remembered how they had been thrown together in the same fish tank for the first time… they both had gone ballistic when the Commissioner had announced that they'd have to work together. She had been grateful that Uncle Selwyn had offered her a job, but disgusted that she'd have to work with Richard…

This time, she wasn't disgusted by the idea, but she was dismayed and unhappy. Not because she disliked him – this wasn't the problem this time around. No, it was the opposite: She liked him too much. And their shared experiences stood between them - all of them, but particularly the moment in his shack before he had left the island.

No, she didn't think it was a good idea to work with him. But she couldn't possibly ask for yet another transfer. Once again, she was stuck with him – and this time around it would perhaps be even more difficult to get along.

She got up to get something to drink and thought about how this all might influence the results in her course. She knew that Richard would be fair on her, but would others see it the same way? Could she talk about it with him? He hadn't appeared to be all that keen on working with her, anyway – maybe she could get an internal transfer?

If she wanted to give that a try… when should she ask for it, and how should she approach the issue? Superintendent Morris had obviously been mostly interested to get the issue of understaffing out of the way, but didn't realise the consequences this might have for her. Had it been at another station with a different supervisor, she would have been ecstatic as it would have given her an opportunity to show her competence, but here, everything she'd do could boomerang on her…

She wondered if it had been such a good idea after all to join this course. So far, it had mostly brought her financial difficulties, dissatisfying housing conditions, loneliness and bad weather… But as she had said to her mother – she had wanted it that way. She had needed to get away from Saint Marie, and career-wise, it had been a good move, she knew that in her heart. And in all honesty, it was a lot better to work for grouchy Richard than having to deal with lovesick Humphrey…

Maybe, she should just suck it up and get on with whatever would come her way. She'd wait a little to see where this all was going, and then she'd make a move. That had always worked best for her, or hadn't it?

She just didn't know how she felt at this point, so maybe she'd better sleep on it before she made a decision…

Superintendent Morris was in for a surprise when he entered the station on the next morning. Five minutes after he had arrived, DCI Poole asked for an appointment by phone. This had never happened before – usually, Poole waited in the wings until he was called, or he skulked around in the corridor, trying to waylay his supervisor… He wasn't one for direct confrontation.

Morris tried to put him off until tomorrow or the day after – he didn't really feel like coping with Poole at this point – he had had a bit of an overdose of his DCI over the past few days… all his complaints had really worn him out, and then he had presented him a perfect solution, and apparently he didn't want that, either – this man was really hard to please!

However, Richard was persistent and said it was indeed a 'very urgent matter', so his supervisor finally gave in with a sigh and asked him to come to his office at 10. "But I warn you, Poole – my gastritis is acting up, so I cannot guarantee I'll look at whatever you have in a favourable manner…"

Richard thanked him and hung up. Honestly, he couldn't care less about how his supervisor's stomach was bugging him – he had important things to discuss. He looked up as he heard a knock at the doorframe – ah, there was DI Fryer.

"You wanted to talk to me, sir?" he asked politely. "Yes, yes – er – please come in, Fryer – and close the door, please."

As Camille arrived at 9 a.m. sharp, she saw that the door to Richard's office was closed. She put down her bag and hung up her coat, then she went to wash her hands. The door was still closed when she came back… She decided to check the notes she had made about yesterday's files and sat down to go through them

She'd had a restless night – memories of how Richard had held her just before he had left Saint Marie had mixed with snippets of their recent conversation, of how he had looked at her – enigmatically…

She hadn't known what to make of his behaviour; he remained a mystery to her…

By the time she had finally got up, she had understood that he had obviously been surprised, but that didn't necessarily mean he didn't have feelings for her any more. A few times he had started a sentence, but broken off right after the first couple of words, and in hindsight it seemed to her that he had been rather confused – but that didn't mean that he didn't want anything to do with her. Once or twice there had been a particular gleam in his eyes, and when he had said that she looked stunning, his voice had been soft and almost tender. She had felt a lump in her throat as she had thought of the one and only other situation when he had said the very same words to her…

She had realised that it wasn't that she didn't want him in her life any more – quite the opposite – but she couldn't possibly approach him on casual terms as long as they worked together. That was out of the question here, anyway, but given her current status, it would be a disaster to do that. It had been different on Saint Marie; they had both been senior officers there, and the non-fraternisation rules weren't a big deal. Uncle Selwyn had once said to her that it was understandable that they had these rules in the UK where there were turf battles about who was promoted next and who'd climb the ladder faster, but on Saint Marie, things were different, and he'd turn a blind eye to romantic interludes as long as people behaved like grown-ups and were discreet.

Too bad that Richard had never taken advantage of this… For about ten minutes, while she had stood in the shower, Camille had revelled in memories of their last encounter on Saint Marie and dreams of what could have been if he hadn't been so buttoned up, but then again – that had been part of his personality back then, and it surely was part of his personality now, too. Neither of them would have changed fundamentally. She had realised that she hadn't made a move at him until the very last minute because she hadn't been sure about his reaction… she had thought she'd have too much to lose.

Well, she had even more to lose now. The only way out was getting away from this awkward situation by trying to get an internal transfer… so she'd stay at the station, but not in his department… then she could perhaps make a new start and give him to understand – little by little and very cautiously – that she still was interested… and maybe, just maybe he'd open up, and they'd have a chance…

Ah – the door was opening! Immediately, she jumped up – she had decided that she'd take the bull by the horns, and that – while it would perhaps be difficult to talk to him - it would be inevitable, anyway, and the earlier she got it out of the way, the better.

She saw a bulky blond man in dark trousers and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves leaving Richard's office… he gave her a flashing smile, and she tried to remember who he was… oh yes, that was DI Fryer, she had met him the day before - and right behind him, she could see Richard, in his usual dark suit, a dress shirt and a tie that she remembered from his time on Saint Marie.

She moved forward and said urgently "Good morning… sir – I've got to speak to you…"

He glanced at his watch and said "Yes, sure, Camille – but not now. I've got to get ready for a meeting with the Superintendent… collect ammunition and revise my – er – battle plan, you know. I don't think the meeting will take longer than twenty minutes, though, so I'll be – er – happy to listen to whatever issues you might have at 10.30, if that's okay with you… or let's say 10.45, to be on the safe side."

"No, it's not okay with me… I must speak to you now…" she tried to insist. But she had no luck.

Richard gave her an indignant frown and said – a tad frostily - "I'm sure it can wait until later, Camille. I'll see you then…"

And he nodded curtly and retreated into his office again. She was close to throwing a tantrum… How utterly rude of him! But she knew she wouldn't get anywhere if she acted up, so she restrained herself and muttered in an undertone "Being your usual annoying self again, huh…" and then added more loudly and definitely sarcastically "Thank you very much, sir" to the closing door.

Much to her surprise, the door opened again, he stuck out his head and said "I heard all of that… and you are most welcome!" An instant later he was gone again.

Open-mouthed and blinking, Camille stood there when she heard someone giggle. She turned her head and saw that it was Constable Collins, a mug of coffee in her hand that she put down on Camille's desk now. In response to Camille's inquiring glance, she explained "Here's your coffee. The Chief figured you might need one and asked me to – um – provide it, so here you are… It's fairly strong, so I hope it's okay for you. Oh, and the mug is – er – a welcome gift, as the Chief said…"

The mug was bright yellow, and the dark red writing on it said 'Coffee doesn't argue – coffee understands!'

Camille couldn't help it - she just had to laugh out loud now. He was impossible!

Collins lingered for a moment, then she asked "Is it true that you have worked with him before?"

Camille nodded and said "Yes, that's right. It was during his assignment in the Caribbean."

The young constable smiled and responded "Oh, that must have been fun! And you didn't know that he's here now?"

Camille replied slowly "No… no, I had absolutely no idea. We lost touch when he moved back to the UK a while ago…"

Collins passed her a scrutinising glance and then said earnestly "He may appear demanding, but he's a very fair boss. And it may not be obvious, but he's kind."

With that, she turned to go – but stopped once more to say over her shoulder "But of course you know that already… Enjoy your coffee!"

As Richard tidied up his desk later in the afternoon, he congratulated himself to his successful little manoeuvre earlier today. He was really pleased with how everything had turned out.

On the way home last night, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the 'Camille dilemma', as he called it. Of course, he wanted to keep her at the station – she was an excellent officer, she had lots of potential, and he knew she'd be an asset to the team.

But that was only one aspect – the more relevant thing for him personally was that he knew now that he just had to find out if he still had a chance with her, and for that, she'd have to be around… if she left, he'd never see her again, he knew that. It was a miracle that she had been transferred to his station – there were so many other places in London where she could have ended up, and the fact that she had been assigned to his workplace was like a gift, a present, a second chance.

But although he clearly wanted her to stay at the station, he didn't want them to be in a supervisor / trainee position. He couldn't possibly approach her under those circumstances.

And although he wasn't sure yet how he would approach her at all, he knew that he wanted something to happen. This wasn't the time for sticking his head into the sand and hoping all would turn out for the best. That hadn't worked in the past, and it wouldn't work now. He wasn't sure how he'd go about, and he was scared he might make a mistake, but he'd have to give it a try. He knew now that if you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it, if you don't ask, the answer is always no, and if you don't step forward you'll always be in the same place… He had learnt this the hard way.

The safest bet seemed to be trying to rekindle their friendship… simply by being around one another on a daily basis. He knew from experience that this could create an amazing closeness – you got familiar with one another, you learnt about each other's little quirks and habits, you moved in the same circles… all these things could have a huge impact. And then… they could take it from there. Maybe she had not forgotten how comfortable they had felt in each other's company back on Saint Marie… and they could build up on that foundation?

As he had been pondering this issue, he suddenly had remembered how Camille's mother, Catherine, had advised him to look at things from a professional angle when he had been so confused about his parents and their potential separation… she had given him the valuable hint that it might be a good idea to look at it as one of his cases – what would he do if it was a 'puzzle' he was dealing with in a case?

With a little smile, he had also remembered how she had said that there was romance in everybody's heart, even his… Well, he'd never admit it openly to others, but he knew now that Catherine had not misjudged him, although he hadn't been ready to acknowledge this back then.

After he had arrived at home and had his dinner, he had sat down to make a list of all the current cases at his department, plus the projects he had been planning together with Holloway Station and a few other things. Then he had spent quite some time brooding over the list, drawn little arrows between certain bullet points, marked others with question and / or exclamation marks and finally compiled a new list, sorted differently.

This had been the basis for his appointment with Superintendent Morris today, and after the initial resistance had been overcome, he hadn't had to go to great lengths to convince him that his idea was splendid. He figured it had perhaps been the prospect of getting praise and being mentioned in the papers that had done the trick – along with the knowledge that he wouldn't really have to do much for it because Richard had already discussed the matter and arranged everything with DI Fryer, and they'd take care of all the organisational upheaval while Morris would only have to carry off the laurels in the end and get all the credit… and he'd have to countersign Camille's report in the end, but that didn't sound like much of a hardship.

The most rewarding part of the day had been Camille's reaction, though. Ah – that had been worth all the blood, sweat and tears he had put into his plan… well, not literally, of course, but Richard loved the metaphor, anyway.

When she had come to his office to finally talk to him, he had sat there and said "Ah, Camille… right… I've got news for you… please close the door. But you wanted to talk to me – so maybe you want to speak first?"

She was curious to hear what kind of news he might have for her and figured it wouldn't hurt to listen before blurting out with what was on her mind and telling him she'd rather not work with him

And then he had explained the restructuring plans, pointed out how she and Stephen would be trained together, and how their presence would help the department to absorb the vacuum of DI Harrison's absence.

"So… you and – er – yes, Stephen! – you and Stephen will be part of the new-formed regular team… it's an experiment, and I hope it will pan out the way I envision it. DI Fryer will be your supervisor – and he'll write your report in the end. We'll announce the whole thing in a briefing after lunch, but I figured you might like to know beforehand. You have only been here since yesterday, and you don't have an assigned task so far, and somehow it seemed fair to – er…"

His voice had trailed off as she had sat opposite to him, speechless… That was a first. He had never before seen her being stumped for an answer. After a moment, though, a smile had grown on her face, and she had said "Now, that changes everything… Thank you for letting me know – my 'problem' has resolved itself with this!"

Then she had got up and stood there by his desk, looking lovely in her dark trousers and the cobalt blue polo-neck sweater, and her gaze had been a tiny little bit provocative when she had said "I did know you can be quite the schemer, and this hasn't changed, obviously - but I never knew you were a rebel. This re-structuring experiment will turn everything in this department upside down! It sounds good to me, though… I'm sure I'll get on fine with DI Fryer… so… thanks!"

Apparently, she had understood what his point was, and judging from her reaction, she was quite content with what he had come up with. But of course, he couldn't let on that he had re-shuffled everything just because of her… no, that wouldn't do. She'd develop delusions of grandeur – no, no…

So, sporting his best poker face, he had looked up and said stiffly "Now, I really have absolutely no idea what you mean, Camille, but I'm glad that you're pleased with the whole thing. You know how important it is for me that the team is satisfied and motivated…"

She had raised her eyebrows at him, and her lips had curved in an amused smile, then she had said "Oh right – of course, I remember now!"

Then she had made ready to go. Before she had opened the door, she had turned around once more and given him an appreciative glance, saying softly and with a teasing undertone "You have no idea how impressed I am with you…"

She had sounded so much like the 'old' Camille – it had been a relief to know that she had not turned into a stranger. Yesterday, he had wondered if maybe they had both changed too much… but no, she was still Camille – maybe she was not quite as flirtatious as she had used to be, but she hadn't lost that impish smile… and he still was attracted to her… oh yes, very much so…

He had given her a brief nod and tried not to smile back at her. He hadn't wanted to give himself away at this point…

He felt that this new situation was a start – she was still in his department, but out of his report line now, and that would make everything much, much easier… or wouldn't it?