Chapter 4: We are not the only ones to take on major changes in our lives
Summary:
In this alternate universe of the Loa, it's not always everyone's cup of tea when small changes occur in Saint Maire. Richard and Camille get a bit of a scare...
Chapter Text
Richard is dreaming, but not about Camille and not about him. For the first time in many months, it seems like a genuine dream from the time when he lived and felt alone.
The point is that he is still in the shack, but there is no sign of Camille... or the lizard. In fact, the little house is still as warm as ever.
There is no sign of the boxes he and Camille have prepared. The shack is exactly the same as if no one was going to renovate it. Of course, that's not what scares him the most. What worries him more is that he sees himself dressed as usual, except without his jacket, leaning on the doorjamb leading to the veranda. Its dark. Camille is still nowhere to be seen.
On a small table is a photocopied book entitled "The Count of Monte Cristo". Richard recognizes the loneliness, the boredom that the man leaning against the door is feeling at that moment. Weariness is in the air. The photocopied book, due to a gust of fresh air, begins to flip pages through the air uncontrollably. The other self rushes at once to try to retrieve as many pages as possible.
He seems so lonely, his other self. He supposes this is what his life would have been like if the Loa hadn't come to him in his dreams and made it possible for him to meet Camille before his arrival on the island.
As Richard, only slightly amused, watches this scene, he sees objects related to the case of the novice that he and Camille are investigating at the moment also sitting on the table. What does this mean?
He strides out of the shack looking for Camille, the lizard, whoever...
Something is not right and he shouts:
"Camille!"
And it is Camille who is shaking him by the shoulders with a worried expression. Very worried. It's very strange that Richard has had a nightmare and she hasn't been with him in the dream to help him.
When Richard sees her with his sweaty brow, he relaxes and, sitting up in bed, hugs her tightly.
"Richard, what happened?"
He breaks away from her and answers:
"I was in the shack. But without a trace of magic. Without the boxes, without you, I was looking for you, but there was no trace of you or your things anywhere. As if you didn't exist at that moment. And suddenly, I saw myself alone and bored looking at the sea. I looked around and... I was investigating the case of the novice! But it was all so different..."
Camille hugs him tightly.
"I don't understand it either, Richard. I'm sure our little green friend will be able to explain to us why you had that dream. Look around you."
Richard does so. And what he sees calms him greatly. Boxes half packed, cluttering up everywhere. Never before has clutter made him so happy.
"I'm sure there's an explanation for everything. I need to get to work as soon as possible, Camille. Last night I thought we could talk to Selwyn about accelerating the rental of another home until the shack is finished. I want to move out as soon as possible."
"Sounds like a very good idea to me, Richard. He knows everyone on the island. And it could benefit us financially. Do you want to take a shower together so it takes as little time as possible and saves water?"
Camille knows that Richard is still affected by the nightmare and sex is always a good way to distract him for the time being. She'll ask the lizard about Richard's nightmare tonight, but right now this kind of intimacy will reinforce the bond between them.
She's there for him and he's there for her.
"Thank you, Camille. You have to know that I love you more every day. That's why that nightmare scared me so much. You were nowhere to be seen, that's why I was screaming for you."
She interrupts him with a kiss.
"Forget about the nightmare. It was just a stupid dream. The sooner we finish our shower, the sooner we have breakfast and go to the station. I promise you'll feel much calmer in a few minutes..."
And so it was...
And so it is that Camille and Richard are the first to arrive at the Saint Marie Police Station. Of course, Dwayne and Fidel are still questioning the people whose names were on the list in the possession of Therese, the comatose novice.
They are discussing the data obtained so far in the investigation of the incident when Fidel and Dwayne arrive with the information obtained from the interrogations.
Richard can't believe it, all these people claim to have been cured by the miracle water, except Bamba Dupree, an old drunk from the port who declares that Daryl Dexter paid him $200 to say he had been cured by the holy spring waters.
Shortly afterwards, Richard and Camille go to talk to Mr. Dexter. But he is not there, so they talk to Daryl's fiancée Laura. She is the owner of the land where the miracle waters are located. And Camille notices Laura smokes the same brand of cigarettes as the ones found in Therese's room.
Laura becomes very nervous when Richard starts questioning her about the miracle cure fraud. Enough for her to stop the interrogation and leave.
He remains thoughtful and comments to Camille.
"For a moment I was afraid you were a secret smoker, Camille."
"You know I was joking, Richard. I had to find out what brand of tobacco Laura smokes. But if I were a secret smoker, would that have been a big problem for you, my love?"
As Richard stands, he comments:
"Tobacco could have irretrievably separated us, my dear Camille."
She rises and laughs back:
"You and I are inseparable. For better and for worse. Besides, I hate the taste and smell of tobacco."
"But I don't! I had a hard time giving it up. The temptation would have been insurmountable for me. You and tobacco together..."
Camille is astonished. How come she didn't know that about Richard?
Camille's phone rings, interrupting the conversation as they stand by the Land Rover. She signals Richard to stop.
He listens patiently until Camille informs him.
"It seems that Therese is out of her coma and she awake. But she is very weak. For the moment she cannot receive visitors. I have asked them not to inform anyone of this."
The DI nods and replies to the DS: "You're afraid they'll repeat the assassination attempt, aren't you? Good thinking. We'll inform Dwayne and Fidel. They're the only ones who can know."
Richard's mobile rings at that moment. It's Fidel, reporting the assassination attempt on Sister Anne. The DI, in his own mind, understands that assassination attempt perfectly well. So he and Camille immediately head off to interrogate the poor woman. Someone has tried to strangle her with a set of rosary beads.
Earlier Fidel has been warned that no one must know that Therese is out of danger. He will inform Dwayne. The attack on Sister Anne involves a killer on the loose. The same killer? And in the convent!
It's a productive morning. They get to speak to Dexter after talking to Sister Anne and he admits that he tried to threaten and frighten Therese, although at no point did he set out to try to kill her.
Obviously, neither he nor Laura, his fiancée, can leave the island without bringing it to Richard's attention.
As Fidel finds Sister Marguerite's fingerprints on the Rosary, which is not unusual because it is, after all, hers, Dwayne heads to the convent to talk to her. And that's where he manages to catch the "ghost" nun.
It's Laura, Daryl's fiancée. At the station they discover that she is actually Sheila Parker, a nurse accused of helping a patient to kill himself back in the UK. She clarifies that it was a humanitarian thing, but Dexter, who is present, is very confused. He knew nothing of his fiancée's past.
Considering that Sheila inherited the land where the miracle waters are, as well as a good deal of money, from that patient, it is easy to doubt her humanitarian intentions.
"And what was she doing dressed as a nun in the convent?" asks Camille.
Sheila / Laura refuses to answer. She claims she can't break a promise.
Dexter and Laura are locked up in the Station's cells. For different reasons and in separate cells, of course. Dexter doesn't trust her story nor does she believe him when he says he didn't kill anyone. Now it turns out that they don't know each other at all.
When Fidel finds Laura's briefcase with medicines and nursing supplies, everything is thrown into a tailspin. Richard deduces that Sister Anne is not cured of cancer and is still receiving medical treatment for it through Laura / Sheila and he is not wrong. But does that make Sister Anne a murder suspect or not?
That night, Fidel, Dwayne, Camille and he are sitting in La Kaz. But they are silent. For a moment it looks like they've made a lot of progress on the case but it turns out they're stuck. Richard is still trying to figure out how someone could have gotten in and out of the novice's room without leaving fingerprints and so he's fiddling with the lock from the door.
And he's frustrated, very frustrated. His nightmare from last night isn't helping either. For most of the day he had forgotten about it, but every now and then it comes to his mind and he remembers the fear he felt.
He bangs on the table, startling his team.
"Richard, what's wrong with you?"
Its his father's voice. His wife and he are at the next table watching him uneasily.
"Nothing. That's precisely what's wrong with me: nothing! I can't make any progress in the case."
Camille stands up:
"Nothing's wrong, Mr. Poole. He always gets like this before he can solve the case."
"Sit down, my dear. We were just leaving. I know my son well enough to know that what he needs is to be left undisturbed."
"Mom..." protests Richard.
"That's alright, son! We all know you'll get it sorted out soon enough."
Mr. and Mrs. Poole leave, wishing everyone a good night.
And when Richard toys with the cocktail umbrella his mother had left behind and pokes at the lock in frustration, he gets a hint of what might help him and announces the following:
"Let's go back to the Station. We've got work to do."
And so they do.
It was Sister Anne who tampered with the lock on Therese's cell, almost killing her. But it was Father John who tried to strangle Sister Anne.
Therese was Father John's biological daughter, and when he learned from Sister Anne herself during Confession that his daughter, whose existence on the island he had only recently learned of, had been the victim of attempted murder by Anne, he became enraged and attacked her but broke off when he came to his senses.
Sheila / Laura and Daryl Dexter manage to reconcile. They, too, are as good as each other. Both of them are liars and thieves, they are the same as each other.
Camille and Richard, after calling the hospital, take Father John (Michael Lannon) aside and inform him that his daughter has awakened from her coma.
Richard tells him:
"You'll understand that we couldn't inform you earlier, Father...She is still very weak, though. You should know we have in our possession some airline tickets with his real name, Michael Lannon, on one of them. We were also unable to inform you of this discovery. I don't suppose you two will be able to travel anywhere in the state she is in now."
Camille no longer knows what to call him.
Thereses father says:
"You can call me Michael. I'm going to have to leave the priesthood if I want to devote myself to caring for my daughter. This time I'm going to get it right."
Without delay, Michael Lannon heads to the hospital to see his daughter, while Sister Anne is arrested for attempted murder and taken to Saint Marie's jail cells.
Sister Marguerite is talking to Dwayne.
"What are you going to do now, Elodie?" he asks.
"Sister Marguerite, Dwayne. My vocation is authentic. And I am happy here. Besides, they need me more than ever. This is my life and I have chosen it."
Dwayne smiles warmly at her and bids her farewell.
It is not yet dark and the whole police team is celebrating the end of this strange case in La Kaz together with Catherine and Richard's parents.
"What a strange case, Richard. But I'm glad Michael Lannon can finally live out what's left of his life with his daughter."
It is Richard's mother who has spoken.
"I'm glad too, Mrs Poole - I mean Alice. That man was torn, being pulled two ways. And that's never good." Says Camille.
"But the convent will continue from what I hear." Arthur, Richard's father, comments.
"That's right," Catherine clarifies. "Sister Marguerite is going to help keep it going. Without the miracle waters, of course. Now the sisters are going to devote themselves to what they did best before the whole 'miracle' earthquake, to running the orphanage, good works helping the poor and sick, to liturgy, all that...They do great work here."
"And the Church will send them a new priest." Camille clarifies.
"It looks like everything will continue as it should now." Richard tries to join in the conversation. He is really uncomfortable with these topics. He still has some things to get over from his past.
"Of course, mon coeur." Camille strokes his hand.
When the shadow of the great Commissioner Selwyn Patterson looms over the tables of the bar where they are all gathered, Richard rises with alacrity.
"Sir," he greets him.
"Sit down, Inspector, sit down. Or perhaps ..."
"Is something wrong, Commissioner?" asks Camille.
"Not really. By the way, first of all, congratulations. Especially for avoiding a big scandal for the island. I actually wanted to inform you that I've found a little shack that you can rent for the duration of the renovation. It's not much, but it's what you wanted. Away from the village, by the sea and quite close to your current house."
"You'll understand that we're going to want to keep an eye on the progress of the renovation, Commissioner." Richard says.
"Sure, of course. Tomorrow morning you can, if you like, begin your move. I'm sure Officers Best and Myers will be happy to help you." The Commissioner says to both officers as he looks at them admonishingly.
"Of course, sir!" they both exclaim at the same time.
Richard smiles inwardly. But he wants to make one thing clear.
"Sir, that is not their role. I would have asked them to help me, of course. But only if they can."
"And we can do that, Commissioner. We wouldn't want to miss a single detail of their future life together. After what they've put us through by keeping us waiting and guessing." Dwayne winks as Fidel looks away and Camille bursts out laughing.
Arthur Poole feels it's going to take some getting used to so much friendliness in this police team. He could never have enjoyed such a thing but Richard does. That is why he is happy for his son.
That night the DI and DS manage to finish packing everything they have left, including the bed, and decide to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor.
This way they don't have to worry about anything the next day when they leave the shack temporarily.
"Good night, Richard. I'm not leaving you alone and tonight we have to sort out that weird nightmare you had."
Richard sighs worriedly. He had almost forgotten about it with the solving of the case and the change of address.
"Good night, Camille. I hope so. I'm sure it'll be nothing."
"You're wrong, DI Poole." It's the lizard talking to them.
"I'm afraid someone is trying to change your mind. Again."
Richard, after getting over the astonishment to find that he and Camille are lying on the usual bed instead of in their sleeping bags, manages to ask:
"What is the meaning of my nightmare?"
Camille hugs him tightly.
"That scene became real at some point before we intervened. It is how you would have lived if we, the Loa, had not gotten involved in your lives." Continues the lizard looking at both of them at once.
"And your other self, he seemed happy?" asks Camille fearfully.
"Not at all." Is Richard's blunt reply.
"No. But he was used to it, resigned. Although in that life you already knew each other, you weren't a couple yet. Surely you would have formalized your relationship, after years lost, of course. But there would also have been the possibility that Richard, in the end, would have decided to return to his country. I would not have been able to protect you there, nor would any of the other Loa. And neither could you protect the island and its inhabitants from there as you do now."
"So you gave me that nightmare as a warning, did you? It wasn't necessary." Richard seems to feel calmer.
"It wasn't us. There's still someone who doesn't want you here, Richard. But we know who it is now, and we'll protect you more effectively."
"What would have happened in that other alternative present?" asks Camille.
"For example, Therese would not have survived."
Richard and Camille are shocked.
"Well. Since that's not going to happen now, forget the whole thing. And trust us. And think about how the shack will look, as long as you respect the tree!"
The lizard has already warned them and is now trying to reassure them.
Because the truth is very unreassuring. The truth is that the Loa did not expect this attack and knowing the source doesn't help in the least.
Notes:
Wow, I must have seen those images from that Ben Miller Halloween movie, but this chapter came out a little spookier. Not too scary.