Part 2 of 2

About ten minutes later they hear faint noises arising from town. High-pitched. Irate. Crashing crockery. More noises. Doors slamming. Tables tipping over. Other voices. Dwayne shoots to his feet, "Holy cow! That sounds like a riot!" but Camille stills him with a hand on his arm, listening. She feels her anxiety draining away, Oh, yeah, that's Maman's voice. And that's Miss Westcott. And… Finally, she hears the one voice she's been listening for. His voice, raised in peevish tones that she knows so well. Richard Poole in full rant is something you don't mistake for anything else. She closes her eyes in thanks and urges Dwayne to sit back down.

Within minutes Richard darkens their doorway with a thunderous look on his face. Two pairs of innocent eyes look up. "Um, trouble, sir?" Camille offers quietly, just the professional and dependable and utterly devoted Detective Sergeant taking proper care of her Inspector.

"Trouble?" Richard blurts out, puffing up in further indignation. "I've never seen anything like it! One minute I'm having a nice quiet lunch and the next…"

Dwayne nods, "Trouble, right?"

Richard nods, "You could say that, yes. For one thing, we were pushed out almost into the street. I've never seen La Kaz over capacity before, not during the lunch hour." Dwayne gives Camille a sly smile but she's all eyes on Richard and gestures for him to continue. "We could barely hear each other speak, it was so noisy. Then nothing we wanted from the menu seemed to be available. Then…" he pauses as if barely able to comprehend the incomprehensible, "then we ordered the tea but Miss Westcott's cup spilled all down her dress and her chair collapsed and the teapot somehow smashed into a thousand pieces and she just lost it!"

"Lost what, chief?" Dwayne asks with a straight face.

The chief turns haunted eyes onto Dwayne, "Her temper, and WHAT a temper! I've never seen a woman so incensed. You would have thought it was a matter of life or death or something. She was livid! And Camille…" he looks to her in mystification, "Camille, your mother lit into her like nothing I've ever heard or seen before! What a vocabulary that woman has. She and Miss Westcott almost came to blows right there on the street! Such insults! Such bad language! I was shocked, totally shocked. Then the servers got involved then the chef came out and no one was paying me the slightest bit of attention so I'm back early and I didn't even get my tea!"

This lament is said in such tones of longing that Dwayne elbows Camille sharply and she bolts to her feet, takes Richard's elbow, and steers him into the break area. "That's all right, sir, I'll make you some tea right now and you can try to calm your poor shattered nerves."

Richard goes quietly.

Dwayne follows along to get himself a coffee. He sits beside his boss at the table and together they watch Camille swiftly perform this most important and vital domestic skill. He leans over and quietly says, "You know what, Chief? I think Miss Westcott had set her cap fer you."

Richard's eyebrows fly up. The look of horror on his face needs no words.

Dwayne sits back, "Yeah, I'm sure of it. Good thing you saw through her act, hey?"

Weakly, the Chief answers, "Yes, a narrow escape, by all accounts."

"Uh-huh, good thing you got real friends like me an' Camille t' watch over you."

Now Richard begins watching Camille rather closely, "Is it?"

"Oh, sure! I'm here t' spot the feminine wiles bein' thrown at you an' she'd here t' run interference. That… an' make the perfect cup of tea." This last is said just before the perfect cup of tea is placed onto the table.

Richard looks down into the steaming cup for a long moment. He then looks up into Camille's carefully neutral eyes and almost misses the tiny smile she lets show for the briefest of seconds. He picks up the cup, sips, sets it back down, and says to the room, "Ah, yes. Never underestimate the value of a true friend. Where would we be without them, I ask you?"

Dwayne smirks, "You'd be down at La Kaz gettin' hooked, gaffed, an' landed, that's where you'd be. Yer head would be on the wall by nightfall, trust me." He stands then and takes his coffee back to his desk. Camille slides into the vacated seat and Dwayne hears her explaining everything to the Chief. The Chief makes very few comments in reply.

Dwayne drinks his coffee with satisfaction as he listens to the ensuing silence. The station is hushed but not exactly quiet. Moments later the Chief comes over to him, "Camille and I are going out for a bit of a walk. It seems we have something to discuss privately. You'll be all right here on your own, won't you?"

"You betcha. Take alla time you need. Um, Chief? What do you want me t' tell Miss Westcott if she decides t' come up here an' make another try fer the brass ring? Meanin' YOU?"

The Chief squares his shoulders and says firmly, "You may inform Miss Westcott that I am indisposed for the rest of the day." He looks to Camille then adds, "For the rest of my life, if I'm reading the signs correctly, although I won't know that until after our walk."

Dwayne smiles, "OK, Chief, an' I think yer readin' everythin' just fine. Good luck."

The Chief and Camille go out the middle door, the Chief turning to look back with hope in his eye just before he disappears. When they pass the east doorway, his hand rests lightly on Camille's waist and he doesn't see the quick thumbs-up she signs to Dwayne before they're both gone for good.

Dwayne leans back with relief. Thank god! If we kin just get those two t' agree on agreein' then that's half the battle! He puts his feet up and takes out his cell phone. When the call comes in ten minutes later that the walk has produced very positive signs and talks are now in session that could take up several more hours, Dwayne grins hugely but keeps it out of his voice, "A course, Chief. You do whatever you need t' do t' maintain the public peace even if it means needin' privacy." He listens for a bit then says innocently, "Why, I don't mean nuthin' by that, Chief. I'm here until Fidel comes in so no worries, OK?" He nods then hangs up.

He sips his coffee, "Further talks, my eye! That's just polite words fer hanky an' panky!" But as the day winds down to twilight, he begins to wonder. What on earth can be keepin' 'em? Hanky panky don't take THAT long. At least, it shouldn't. Maybe sumthin' much more serious is happenin' here?

When Fidel comes in for the night shift, he and Dwayne have a very serious discussion. Then they watch the night fall and wonder together. They might not know exactly what their senior officers are up to but...

... tomorrow promises to be very interesting.

END