-8-
They'll need you, Naomi; whoever comes will be scared and worried.
Neville led Naomi a short distance away, pleased that his final case on Saint Marie was over. It had been a tough one; Neville had often dealt with cases where his very sanity was being questioned and stretched to the maximum, but he should have looked to the simple first. The only logical way that Kurt could have been found dead with a bullet in his chest on a beach in Saint Marie was if he had gotten off the plane first.
But Neville wasn't focusing on that; he had so much to do, some last-minute tidying up at the shack, getting ready for his travels after being inspired by his old flame Zoe, to do it to look for love before the unexpected reunion with Florence, and finding himself torn apart for his love with her. He had told her yesterday evening he preferred to be left alone, but ever since he had spent two days in prison for murder, and how Sophie Chambers was actually Rebecca Walmslow, the sister of a young woman he'd put in prison before she committed suicide, Neville had become scared.
Okay, he knew Florence didn't deserve that, and he had treated her badly; he was man enough to admit it to everyone, including himself, but it was the way he felt.
And he knew how the others felt, too.
"Naomi, you've been amazing these last few years; you were already a brilliant police officer before you arrived in Saint Marie. You were diligent, tenacious and smart," Neville said softly, smiling at the way Naomi bashfully smiled and looked down. "But I want you to look after whoever they're going to send out next to replace me."
Naomi's smile disappeared.
"Whoever it is, they're going to need you. You might get someone friendly, like Humphrey Goodman, but no matter who you get, I want you to just be the amazing, dedicated DS you are," Neville said.
Naomi bit her lip. "I've heard of some of the DIs who've come in over the years, sir," she said.
And she had; DI Charlie Hume had been a fairly casual man but he had been good at his job, before his murder at the hands of his sergeant, Lily Thompson and was then replaced by DI Richard Poole, whom Dwayne had worked under before his tragic murder. But from what she had learnt about him from Dwayne, he had been a damn good detective, a bit stiff who exhibited the stereotypical British stiff upper lip and had dressed in suits instead of wearing anything more practical. DI Goodman had replaced him, and when he and his fiance, Martha had visited the island last year, Naomi had liked him immediately even if he was a bit bumbling; she had worked under DI Parker, Neville, she reminded herself, long enough to know full well how crazy he could be.
DI Jack Mooney had been well beloved by the team and everyone else on Saint Marie, Dwayne, Darlene, and the Commissioner included before he had left to return home. DI Parker, by all accounts, had been unhappy coming out here, and he'd been allergic to everything but he had come to want to stay, but the island had that effect on people. But thanks to them all, Florence most of all, Neville had grown as a person and she had seen the confident man he had become.
"And many more will likely come as well, Naomi," Neville replied with a nod. "I want you to know when I came to this island, I was scared of everything; I had never travelled beyond Manchester. Suddenly I was here, in the Caribbean and I was forever suffering from health issues and anxiety. But I had J.P, Ruby, and Madeline here to help me settle down before I decided to stay. Do the same with the next one."
Naomi wetted her lips sadly. "I will, sir."
"I know you will because they're going to be apprehensive, nervous. They won't know anyone, and they'd have left their homes to come here. They might even be scared, I dunno, but be there for them. I know I drove Madeline and Florence," Neville paused at the name and looked down with regret written all over his face; Naomi was partly tempted to confront him, here and now about how he had treated Florence last night since she hadn't deserved that, and she had planned to have it out with him earlier today, but he had made it clear he didn't want to talk about it, "mad with my hygiene habits, but be patient."
Naomi bit her lip, wondering if she would be able to handle it, but she would do it, for their (the new DI's sake), and for Neville.
"I will, sir," Naomi replied.
"Thank you," Neville's face lit up with gratitude, and they hugged each other. Naomi opened her eyes, her mind racing as she tried looking for a way she could get Neville to get off his backside and go to Florence. They made a cute couple.