Chapter 14: We made it through the hurricane, but...

Summary:

Richard and Camille discover that an old enemy of theirs has not given up yet...

Chapter Text

The first hour they spent trapped inside the weather station, Richard called his parents to reassure them, especially when they saw that he and Camille were not in the shack.

Camille did the same with Catherine.

"Dad, repeat what you're saying!" Richard listens attentively, "Alright, I'll see if there is a book with a record of the hurricanes suffered by Saint Marie. No promises. Tell mum we're fine, that ..." The DI is flabbergasted, "Tell Mum that Camille and I won't use our time like that! We're here to try and solve an attempted murder, not to... For God's sake!"

From the look on Camille's face as she's talking to Catherine, it's obvious that she's getting the same "request" herself. Camille doesn't seem to feel shocked at all, though. Although she seems to be feeling too relaxed. Tired, perhaps?

"You'll have grandchildren when Camille and I decide! And don't leave the house under any circumstances. It's too dangerous. We'll call you." Richard settles the question.

Why is everything so public on the island?

Then, to make the most of the time and forget about the hurricane, which was stronger than Richard had anticipated, and ignoring the requests of the grandparents-to-be, the two senior officers decide, with the help of a large white board, to move the case forward.

'Does there always have to be a big white board for Richard's use and enjoyment?' thinks Camille. It must be one of those big favours that the Loa's do for the DI.

Unlimited number of whiteboards...

The DS also can't help feeling a bit thankful that a large metal lid almost caused Richard to fall over with a thud when he tried to leave the weather station. For a moment her heart stopped. But it made him finally listen to her and give up trying to escape.

"Camille, are you listening to me?" Richard asks her. He feels slightly guilty. He can't help but notice that she seems restless, and he has driven her from place to place on the island in the weather they are enduring!

"No, I'm tired, Richard. I don't think I can go on with the case, I'm sorry. I'm looking forward to lying down on these cushions and relaxing."

Richard had prepared a "bed" for the two of them. He hadn't thought at any point that their enforced stay at the Weather Station would help them have a little adventure, now that they had their lives so well in hand.

But in his innermost self, hidden deep under the preoccupation of solving the case and the gale-force wind and rain they are enduring, he wouldn't mind experiencing something totally unexpected with Camille.

Croydon's Richard Poole is crying out for it!

But they may have to wake up very early tomorrow morning and he doesn't want to give the islanders of Saint Marie another reason to believe that their two senior officers can't help but want to be together every time they are left alone, even if they are trapped with no way out, with a hurricane as the big romantic backdrop...

Richard decides to control such unprofessional thoughts and instead he replies:

"Get some rest then, sweetheart. I know you'll want to tear my head off if I tell you this, but I want us to be rested tomorrow. I'm content in the knowledge that Leo Downs is safe and sound in his hospital room. That's the most important thing about this case right now. The balloon and the duck explains the endearing experiment he wanted to conduct. Tomorrow we'll find him. So I..." he says as he is taking off his jacket and tie, movements closely followed by Camille, sits down next to her and continues to speak softly to her "...read a little to make me sleepy. That way I feed my male ego by making it look like I can protect you while you sleep".

Richard already has a copy of Professor King's book in his briefcase, a gift for his father. So he has something to read.

But Camille guesses what is happening to him.

"Just in case you don't fall asleep right away, I might change my mind. You know I love to see you take off your tie and jacket whenever you do..." she says, in a totally unnecessary way, as she helps him with total parsimony to get rid of them.

"You know," Richard says to her as he takes both her hands with astonishing gentleness and strength. "I remember a lonely Richard who had already resigned himself to his grey, uneventful life. And he is tremendously shocked to find himself locked up in this weather station with a stunning woman who wouldn't mind spending the night, the coming days and the rest of his life with him. He wants his adventure, Camille! And I'm not going to deny him."

They are already lying as comfortably as possible in each other's arms. The last words he has already said in her ear.

"Poor Richard Poole! The old Camille is crying out for me to eat him up and down. Seldom does one find such appetizing prey at one's side, someone so unaware of his enormous attractiveness. Someone willing to do everything that she wants...".

By now they no longer felt cold or afraid or any kind of trepidation. Fortunately Richard also found a small quilt that was to be used for the rare cool nights of Saint Marie when the students took nightly measurements.

Right now that poor blanket is all they have to cover themselves with...

But when they fall finally asleep after their adventure...

They dream of the world of the Loa, but its clear that a raging storm is also crashing on the beach where they first met. A howling storm, a harbinger of future trouble or threats.

They try to reach the shack, but cannot. Its paradoxical that in reality they are safe under cover in the Weather Station yet in the dream they are suffering the rigours of a terrible storm.

Something is wrong.

They can't even hear each other.

In the end, a voice that comes directly into their minds gives them enough strength and gently "pushes" them, helping them to reach the shelter of the shack.

There they meet the lizard, who is quite serious and begins to speak to them:

"You are safe now."

"What's going on?" asks Richard angrily. Camille leans against him. Somehow they are dressed again. She is not afraid, he can feel it, but she feels very uneasy. She is very intuitive.

"That's right, Camille, I'm sorry. You know there is someone who is not entirely happy with this special arrangement we have with you. And it's possible that he decided to act in a more notorious way."

"We're fine. Nothing has happened." Camille says before Richard lets out another outburst. "She needs to be calm, she senses very faint thoughts of someone else. They're not even thoughts, they're presences, albeit very faint ones still. She already suspects where they might be coming from."

Richard is clearly very angry that he doesn't perceive these feelings too.

The lizard continues to explain.

"It's caught us by surprise. Nothing more. We were already on notice. We are discussing all this among ourselves. We will decide what you can know. You can take the opportunity to sleep in your bed and rest. You have a good job day ahead of you tomorrow."

Richard and Camille look at each other quizzically. But seeing that they can't get any more out of the lizard they decide to listen to him and, having "miraculously" dried off without realizing it, decide to get into bed and sleep.

Richard hugs Camille tightly.

A few hours before dawn, they wake up naked and cold in the Weather Station. Its so strange to have enjoyed the comfort of their home miles away and wake up locked up again!

Because of the cold and wet weather, they get dressed in no time at all. They have loved this little adventure that they have enjoyed in such a romantic way, but they prefer to keep it between them.

Camille is about to tell Richard of her suspicions, but first she has to make sure that these little presences are real in their reality.

Now they realize, moreover, that they have enemies not only in this real world, but also in the other. Once they are warm again, they hug each other tightly and fall back asleep.

And that's how Dwayne and Fidel find them, accompanied by Arthur Poole, clearly concerned about his son's condition. Arthur doesn't seem very happy to find them in such a state. Overdressed.

That's no way to make grandchildren!

Although its touching to see the strength with which Richard holds the sleeping Camille in his arms.

As soon as the DI wakes up, blushing that the other found him and his DS holding each other so tenderly, he decides to continue investigating the case without delay.

He gives the hurricane book to his father. With a bit of luck, his dad will keep himself duly occupied comparing the magnitude of the island's hurricanes with the one experienced by the UK in 1987.

It's certainly amazing how much his life has changed since then...

"Sir," Fidel updates him, "we passed by the hospital earlier and the doctors have already brought Leo out of his induced coma.

"And there have already been two people who have tried to see him, Chief." Dwayne continues, "Professor King and the student Amber. In fact, the girl won't leave the waiting room."

"But they are both still suspects." Camille confirms.

"Have either of them managed to talk to Leo?" Richard asks almost apprehensively.

"Oh, no, sir!" reassures Fidel. "The guards posted at his door only had orders to let in the Commissioner, you or Camille. And us, of course." Dwayne says pointing at Fidel and himself.

"Right. Statistics show that when the killer was unlucky the first time, he'll try again. And we still don't know who tried to attack him the first time. Dad," says Richard, "we're going to take you to Mum. Camille and I can get on with what the weather didn't let us do yesterday."

"I see." Arthur comments, pointing to the small cut on Richard's forehead. "Be careful. Your mother and I had a restless night despite talking to you two on the phone. And rightly so, I see."

The detective can't help but feel some exasperation. His father can see perfectly well that he's perfectly fine.

Camille laughs.

"Don't complain, Richard. Leo would love to have his father worrying about him while sitting next to him in the hospital right now."

"True. Downs did that ball and duck experiment in the memory of his father. They had a great relationship. And he misses him very much..."

At that very moment it occurs to the DI that perhaps they didn't find something very important in the young man's room. Leo worshipped his father and there was no trace of Leo Downs' academic work anywhere. Not on his home computer and not at the weather station where he and Camille had spent the night. It has to be somewhere. No one works in places like this without keeping records and notes.

So they all leave the station. Richard and Camille head back to the room almost praying that no one has eliminated the missing evidence before they can find it.

Fidel and Dwayne will first take Arthur to the small house that the Poole couple rented in Honoré and then head to the hospital to guard Leo Downs themselves.

"Who knows, maybe he can tell us something now..." Fidel wishes hopefully.

Indeed, something was still hidden in Leo's room, behind the photograph of the young man's father. A memory card which, when inserted into Leo's laptop in his room, shows the detectives the reason that caused the attack.

A display of graphs and text that looks very familiar to Richard.

But they still have to hunt down the culprit. The timing experiment with the four weather stations in which four respective photographs were taken provides the answer. Someone was able to manipulate the time stamp on their camera, but the DI knows that there is something that cannot be changed.

It is 11 o'clock in the morning. With alacrity both detectives make their way to one specific island station where Richard, after a little tussle with the sun, takes a photo, exactly like the ones they have as proof of the suspects' locations at the time of the attack.

The Saint Marie police team is now in a position to uncover the culprit behind the attempted murder of poor Downs.

They all meet at the main Weather Station with all the suspects and those involved in the case. Leo has been taken into the custody of other officers who are still under strict orders not to let anyone except known hospital staff in.

And Richard unmasks Professor King. In the short time the DI has had to look through the Professor's book, he discovers that, as far as he can see, the book is a near word-for-word copy of Leo Downs' work.

Professor King had no choice but to try to assassinate Leo to preventing him from telling the Dean about the plagiarism. It was the last chance King had left to protect his reputation and be respected in the academic world.

And he lost.

"Glory follows virtue as if it were its shadow" comments Richard as he demonstrates with his photograph that the photo taken by the professor at his weather station was taken between 8 and 9 in the morning. Not at the time of the attack at 11 o'clock. The sun's shadow does not lie.

Camille remembers that this is the phrase that was handwritten on the framed photograph of Leo Downs' father.

When she sees the betrayed rage on Amber's face, Camille is glad that these kids still have a chance, she doesn't know what will happen, but at least they have a choice.

After the arrest of the culprit Camille and Richard head to the hospital to finally speak to Leo Downs in person.

It is clear that the young man is still quite disoriented. Although he has Amber by his side, Leo seems to be very impressed by Camille's presence, which doesn't sit well with Richard.

He soon settles the situation with a:

"We are very pleased with your recovery, Mr. Downs. May I introduce Sergeant Camille Bordey, who is also my fiancée?"

Camille looks away in amusement.

Leo takes the hint.

Thereafter the detectives report briefly on the investigation into Leo's attempted murder and the academic change of Leo Downs' name on the cover of the book rather than Professor King's.

They then go off to the shack to change and get some rest, leaving Leo to face a worried and angry Amber. That is no longer Richard's business. He has learned he has enough with Camille. And, like himself, Leo has to learn to see and appreciate what he has at his side.

In the shack the whole team wishes Fidel good luck, who must report to headquarters without delay to take the Sergeant's exam.

And there, once alone, Camille informs Richard of her suspicions about the faint presences she felt in the dream they shared during the storm…

Notes:

Thanks to Sweepeaspatch for help me with your really useful questions that enrich the story! If not all (because of the length of the chapter) I have tried to reflect in the story those new points of view on the story. I'm talking about the part about Leo and Amber. That doesnt mean that they are not used for another independent story...