Chapter 15: Nightmares

Summary:

Doug Anderson is an utterly amoral and evil character, which suits the disgruntled Loa very well. Doug is the effective instrument to make everything go back to the way it was, so that no human being even dares to occupy a place that is not his own. ...

Meanwhile, Richard and Camille further settle their lives on the Caribbean island of Saint Marie.

Chapter Text

Everyone is at Honoré Church. Today Detective Inspector Richard Poole is getting married to Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey. The ceremony is officiated by Father Charles Dean, who, apart from knowing the two officers from the clearing up of the death of Angelique Morel and her daughter Delilah, also shared a delicious Roast Beef with them at La Kaz.

Richard's request to Catherine for the wedding feast is another Roast Beef feast. To which Catherine immediately agreed, because at last, Camille will be married and will have the grandchildren she has been longing for as well ...

... as Arthur and Alice Poole, who of course still live on the island. In fact, they have rented out their UK home. Richard fears the worst - he doesn't think they will be leaving the island for a long, long time...

By the way, Alice also insists on helping prepare that Roast Beef. The Poole men are rubbing their hands together.

Richard waits at his post at the altar, staring at the door with ill-concealed anxiety. He is normally an observant man, but if you were to ask him today what was going on around him at that very moment, he would be unable to remember a thing.

At last Camille appears, radiant and seemingly calm. Hand in hand with Commissioner Patterson. Dwayne Myers and Fidel Best, dressed in their finery, are already standing next to Richard at the altar.

Thanks to Fidel, especially Fidel, Richard has done nothing to offend anyone by doing something inappropriate or rude to Father Dean or those attending the ceremony.

Camille is radiant in her simplicity. There is no sign of her pregnancy. In fact no one knows anything about the babies-to-be. Richard and Camille don't want to say anything until at least three months have passed.

Camille finally arrives at her destination, she and Richard hold hands and the ceremony begins.

Its now nightfall in the house shared by the now newly married Poole couple. They have enjoyed a superb wedding feast, the ceremony attendees have danced, eaten and enjoyed themselves and drank into the early hours of the morning.

Of course the couple went to their shack to enjoy their honeymoon. And no one has bothered them despite the tradition of hazing on the island. They cannot yet go on a trip to the UK or France, or both, but they have a week in which they will be absolutely alone in their home in paradise. And as their priority at the moment is something as simple as not getting out of bed for the whole week, its not something they are particularly worried about.

Especially with Camille's pregnancy not yet made public.

Richard lies quietly and contentedly with Camille cuddled up to him.

"My love, I remember once telling you that you have too much lingerie… but what you wore today was stunning, thank you."

She sighs and replies:

"I could have done without it, that's true, but a girl needs special things on such a special day and I would have been very disappointed if you hadn't shown so much interest in taking it off, so, you're welcome."

He kisses her lovingly and decides it's time to get some rest. After all, she is pregnant and needs to sleep and rest.

And they both fall asleep in each other's arms.

Not all Loa are happy about the big event. The one who never went along with the plans agreed to by the majority of the Loa community on the island of Saint Marie has decided that something drastic has to be done about this wedding, this big mistake.'

And Doug Anderson is perfect for this Loa's plans. That man hates Richard Poole with all his soul, with all his being. Doug never understood how Dicky boy could get a woman like Camille Bordey. A Caribbean beauty with character who seemed to adore, nay, love, Richard.

Such love and devotion is something Doug has never had but believes he deserved. He's locked up in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison. The authorities haven't dared to bring him near the other prisoners yet. They would kill him. Cops are never welcome.

And Anderson knows he will be there for the rest of his life.

He would give this worthless life within these four walls to make Richard's life a living hell. How? By taking Camille, of course. It's obvious that woman wouldn't have noticed Richard if she'd met Doug first. Stealing Camille would kill Richard.

"It's a done deal."

Doug looks around in terror - he's alone! Who spoke?

"You have chosen to sacrifice your life to get revenge on Richard and I can help you. I need everything to go back to the way it was before. I will help you on condition that you help me."

"But I don't want to die." Doug replies in terror. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry about who I am, that doesn't matter to you now. I'm offering you an eternal existence in which you won't die. In any case, it's too late now. They will find your body in the cell but it will be an empty shell, because you will come with me to Saint Marie. And you will help me. You have no choice now, a deal's a deal and you are mine."

Doug Anderson is a coward, even now that he is dead. But he decides he has no choice but to do what this being tells him.

But soon enough he forgets the terror and the fear of uncertainty.

He remembers only his desire for Camille and his hatred for Dicky boy.

But the Loa hides from Doug is that Richard's ex-partner will finally be discarded as soon as he fulfils his mission.

The Loa hates human meddling in their world too much to make, in his opinion, the same mistake that the rest of the Loa collective has made.

The week-long honeymoon has passed and the new Poole couple have made the most of it. Fortunately there have been no major cases that needed their attention.

They have a firm promise from the Commissioner to get another fortnight to themselves at a later day where they could travel to London or Paris, or even both.

But that will have to wait a little longer.

Today, though, they will debut their new status as a married couple in public by attending a benefit being organized by Malcolm Powell for the island's marine reserve.

"And that's why they're serving seafood cocktails," says Richard sulkily.

He continues to feel bad in front of the food that looks him in the eye.

"Richard!" reproaches Camille, hiding her laughter.

"You should sit down once in a while, Camille. Blame it on your new shoes. And don't drink any alcohol..."

"I'll say I don't drink anything because I'm on special medication."

"Special?" asks her husband in confusion.

"I'll figure something out. And... Richard, try to socialize."

"I don't want to 'socialize'! All people want to do is gossip about our private lives."

Camille shrugs.

"You live on an island, mon Coeur, gossip is important. Commissioner Patterson is coming our way. I'm going to get some rest. Courage!"

Richard squeezes her hand with his visibly glowing ring and turns to the Commissioner.

As Camille talks to Vicky Woodward and Richard accompanies the Commissioner in his role as Chief of Police, the host of the party, Mr. Powell, is shot dead.

A shot that was heard by all present.

The Honoré Police efficiently cordon off the area, study the crime scene, question witnesses, etc...

At the end of the day Richard brings his work back to the home office he has set up in the shack where he also has a small chemistry lab to speed up the analysis of the evidence.

This night he is going to try to lift the possible fingerprints printed on the empty banknote wrappers found during the investigation of the case. Of course, the money is nowhere to be found.

Camille, who knows that his little experiment is going to take a long time, not to mention that he will continue to work on the case while he waits for the prints to turn up, decides to go to bed.

"Good night, Richard. Don't stay up all night." She warns him gently.

He laughs lightly and hugs her, urging her to go to bed without him.

"Believe me when I tell you I'll be done as soon as possible. Good night and get some rest."

She is awake, though asleep. The pity is that Richard is not with her at the moment.

The tree keeps appearing in the middle of the room.

"I've grown fond of it." The Loa-lizard comments.

"I can see that." Camille replies. "Can you see if Richard has much longer to go?"

The Loa - lizard is about to answer when he shakes his head sharply in the direction of the shack door. He senses footsteps outside. As if someone is walking heavily on the sand. Someone who is not Richard.

"Camille, someone is outside. Don't go out there. That's an order."

Camille is startled, the Loa was glowing with fury. It even seemed to increase in size!

"If I have to, I'll get you out of this dream. Don't worry, the rest of the community is coming to help us."

Camille approaches the door, peeks out through a crack in the shutters, and is petrified. It is Doug Anderson who is walking across the beach with a great look of hatred that fails to disguise the smile plastered on his face.

At that moment she wakes up and, after a few minutes to recover from the shock, she goes downstairs to warn Richard. She doesn't want to be alone. She needs him, she needs his embrace, his strength.

Early the next morning, Richard wakes her up with a big glass of juice. The two of them talk and decide that what Camille saw in the dream last night is consistent with that latent threat from previous experiences.

"Camille, last night was a very direct attack. But the Loa protected you, they protected all three of you." He says, placing his hand on her abdomen.

"And what was Doug doing in my dream, Richard?"

"Clearly this disgruntled Loa who has always given us trouble has decided to take action in a more effective way. I spoke to a colleague in London this morning. Doug was found dead in his cell, Camille."

"The Loa can do that?"

"Of course we can. But we stopped doing it long ago because the person who dies that way loses everything that makes him or her human. If any human dies at the hands of a Loa, it causes an imbalance. And, in this case, only his feelings of revenge and... desire have survived in Doug."

Its Erzulie who speaks through the mouth of the little lizard.

"But don't worry. Doug didn't even gain access to the veranda. As powerful as a single Loa is, a whole community of them is more powerful still. And the love you feel for each other protects you too. "

Richard and Camille look each other in the eye with determination and decide to focus on the case. For the time being.

"Did you manage to pull the prints, Richard?"

He nods. "They're Malcolm Powell's. Now get dressed and let's go to the station. You and I are always going to be together. You'll look after me and I'll look after you."