S2 E1 – A Murder on a Plantation – His POV

Part 2

He rather wishes he is brave enough to ask her these questions… but he isn't… so he doesn't. What a conversation THAT would be. He wonders where it might have taken them.

Back at the station, he sets his team into motion then retreats beneath a cool damp cloth to calm himself. He hears them working all around him… Fidel finds a possible explanation for the J-O-H in blood, Dwayne is following the money, Camille ties it into Miss Kim's home island… excellent work all! He wishes he could take a nap, he's so hot and tired, but, no… the red ribbon… as soon as he sees it, something clicks into place… he feels the connection inside his head! A clue! Leading to another clue!

He is out the door without thinking, hot (!) on the trail then realizes he is only half-dressed. Rushing back in, he is most gratified to see Camille holding up his missing accoutrement. What a team they make!

Of course, now that he knows what he is looking for, he finds the tunnel right away. Hah! As he prepares to go spelunking, she rightly surmises he doesn't want to enter this nightmare of a place. But who else can go? Fidel is already busy and his findings are vital to the case! Camille… well, how can he order her into this hellish orifice? It has to be him. Fortunately, before he can chicken out, he slips and is plummeted into hell without any warning. Ugh! The dirt! The massive cobwebs. The damp and dark and dankness. Only his drive to find another clue keeps him going. When he finally crawls out into daylight, he is never so glad to be above-ground again!

And the horror is worth it! Another vital clue is revealed. After he calls Camille, he tries to brush himself off. One look at her face tells him that he is in no shape for public consumption and Camille takes him to a lonely stretch of deserted beach where he washes off the worst of it. Lucky she is with him to help otherwise he would have had to partially strip to clean his back. Even so, when they get back to the station she is still wiping dirt off his face. What a partner! He doesn't remember any teams cleaning each other off back at Croydon. He is so lucky to be here and not there.

So lucky.

Back at the station, Dwayne supplies the remaining clue needed to connect all the dots. How fortunate that Dwayne has stepped up to the plate ever since his almost-fall-from-grace over the Nadia Selim case. He is proving himself to be quite a good copper, a real asset to the team. Good on you, Dwayne.

A quick check on the computer and he has his Motive. Show time! A few last minute instructions and it's off to the crime scene for the Big Reveal!

The denouement is depressing and sad. So much hatred. So much anger. So much clueless surprise. He knows exactly what Camille means by her statement 'most days I like my job…' It is comforting to know that they think and feel the same… like real partners, at last.

He doesn't know why he didn't just get into the sidecar and let her drive him back to the station. It's what happens anyway 30 minutes later when she stops at the tree he is collapsed beneath. Maybe he should just listen to her from now on. Why torture himself unnecessarily? He actually enjoys the ride back, the wind cooling his face and she avoids the worst of the potholes so it is all good.

The case wrap-up is a bit anti-climactic but most of them are. He is puzzled by her reaction when he reluctantly reminds her of her blind date. As the three of them watch her race out the door, they look at each other and shrug… Women! An alien race if ever there was one! It is a foregone conclusion that they will walk down to La Kaz for an after-case wrap. He is happy to go. He likes his team… ALL of his team. Too bad she is otherwise occupied.

At La Kaz, their lovely quiet time is shattered by imperious Catherine. She overhears Fidel lament about lack of a baby-sitter and Richard's goose is cooked. Within moments he is ushered across the street to await Fidel's return. Thank goodness he'd had the foresight to bring his book. The wait is almost bearable despite his dread of still being here when Camille shows up for her date. The very prospect of seeing this merger fills him with foreboding.

His reticence is utterly shattered when he DOES see her. My god! He has to look twice to make sure it is really her! She is absolutely… Well. Absolutely.

For once, his ingrained manners stand him in great stead. When he shoots to his feet, she actually smiles! She then proceeds to tease him by sitting down and pretending he is her date! The cheeky monkey. If only she knew. He can't play along though, it hurts too much. He lets her know that he is onto her tricks and that she has a real date waiting for her somewhere. Lucky stiff!

Then… an odd thing happens. She looks uncertain... not caught out and guilty of playing a trick… but actually upset and hesitant. Almost like… almost like she really thinks he IS her date. Him. Him and her… Into the crashing silence that falls between them, Fidel ambles up, breaking the hard stare that has almost melded their eyes to each other.

Together, he and Fidel try to explain what is happening but he can tell she is upset. Upset and embarrassed. Could she really have thought he was her date? Could she really be upset that he isn't?! He sees Fidel's speculative look and realizes that their emotions are showing on their faces. Time to take evasive maneuvers! He uses his book as a shield.

Then, to make matters worse, Catherine swans in and hi-jacks Camille. Hi-jacks her and pushes her towards the next table where… of course… a virile young man sits oblivious to the anguished mime taking place behind his back.

Richard can't seem to drop his gaze. Neither can she. There's the loudest silence he's ever heard hovering between them but he can't say what he's thinking! You just don't say, 'Forget that man. Be with me! You are my heart's desire and…' No. Can't be done so instead say something totally inane, deflect Fidel's suspicions, release her to her previously programmed evening, and slink off into the dark.

He can't resist one last look back, though. He wishes he hadn't. The look she shoots him is despairing, almost 'Come back! Save me!'… but, of course, he can't. He dithers there on the edge of the patio and on the horns of a dilemma. The woman he wants is with another man. How do you live with that?

Well, you live with it like you live with everything else. Accept it. Get over it. Move on.

And he does move on… moving on is his only option. Tonight. But not the acceptance and not the getting over it. He can't. It just isn't possible. Tonight has slipped through his fingers… he hadn't been ready… he hadn't realized the moment was upon them… but there will be other moments. Plenty of them. Any one of them could be the moment he is waiting for.

He just has to be ready... watch for his chance and… and…

… take a leap of faith.

END