Chapter 2: A dead end... with no way out?

Summary:

Here we find out why Richard tries to cajole a reluctant DS into working for him - oops, that's right, with him. Not only that, he has met Aimée, who conveniently enlightens him on the possible difficulties he may, in fact, encounter for such an essential task for the future of the police in Saint Marie.

Chapter Text

It all started with...

DCI Lloyd broke the news to DI Richard Poole parsimoniously and calmly.

"I know you were the right choice, DI Poole, but Doug Anderson insisted that he knew the place from knowing a friend of his who moved to the island to live. And, frankly, the case wasn't that important. Poor DI Hulme's murder had been a disgrace, but..."

"But… " thought Poole, "you consider my position to be here in Croydon, reopening unsolved cases. I'm the cold-case expert you don't want to lose!"And not enjoying a holiday in the Caribbean solving a real case for a change.That was Poole's thought, refraining very much from verbally communicating it to his DCI.

And that was all Richard Poole got out of his visit to his superior's office in Croydon.

Ironically Richard began to receive calls from Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, from Saint Marie, where Doug had gone to solve the DI Hulme crime, apparently without making much progress.

"I just wanted to meet, if only by telephone, the colleague Doug seems to detest so much, Inspector Poole. No offence, but the person they've sent to Honoré doesn't inspire much confidence in me."

Inspector Poole is not quite sure what the Commissioner intends.

"Should I consider myself flattered, Commissioner?"

Patterson's calm voice continued to explain himself slowly.

"I gather from the way Anderson works and the hatred you seem to inspire in him, Inspector Poole, and, frankly, from the reports that colleagues in high places at the Met have passed on to me about you, that you may be interested in rather more interesting cases than those that occupy your time."

Richard can't quite believe it, someone at the Met has spoken highly of him to a Caribbean Commissioner and that person is showing interest in him?

"Of course. But..." Richard looks at the pile of cases he has yet to start reading, "right now I have a lot of work to take care of. It's also important to get help to the victims of the unsolved cases."

"Undoubtedly. "Didn't they have a team specialising in these cases?,Patterson thinks. "His sense of justice is something I have yet to find in his friend Anderson."

"He is not and never will be my friend, Commissioner Patterson." Poole replies dryly, involuntarily. He hates losing control like that.

"I don't know why, but I expected it. Keep working, Inspector Poole. We'll talk again."

And Richard Poole continued to work methodically, and successfully, on those unfinished cases.

And so these curious and strange conversations went on for a month, and Anderson still didn't solve anything!

At one point Richard trusted Patterson more than he would ever trust DCI Lloyd.

A month and a half later the news came down like a bucket of cold water at Croydon police station, where Richard Poole was doing his job.

Doug Anderson had been murdered in a pub outside Honoré. Of course, without solving the murder he had gone to solve.

But before Lloyd returned to call him back to his office, Richard spoke to Commissioner Selwyn Patterson.

"I know the news already, Inspector Poole. This shows that it was indeed that a big mistake was made when you were replaced at the last minute by your colleague. Understand me, it is not right to speak ill of him, especially knowing that he has been killed. But I have to say that it seems to me that Anderson was not a great example for the MET."

Richard doesn't know what to say, so he allows Patterson to keep talking.

"It is also the case that the other person I was counting on to solve the parallel case to Hulme's murder, people smuggling in the Caribbean, DS Camille Bordey, has still not returned to Saint Marie. I can assure you, Inspector Poole, that, after you, she is the most competent person at my disposal."

"I'm afraid in that matter there's nothing I can do for you." Richard replied.

After a brief silence on the line, Patterson disabuses him.

"The truth is, yes, you can. I'm convinced I have the makings of a great staff at the Police station at my service here on the island. But it lacks good leadership to guide them. It's a very touristy area and my officers don't exactly convey a sense of security and tranquility."

Richard thinks he is beginning to understand what Patterson wants, but while he is flattered by the Commissioner's interest, something he rarely experiences in his professional environment, he decides to continue the conversation as if it were not with him.

"¿And...?"

"I want a police force I can trust, a police team whose mere mention will get criminals to think more than once before setting foot in Saint Marie. I will speak plainly to you Inspector Poole, I know you are not valued in Croydon, you have no family, you have nothing to tie you particularly to your locality. You are not even properly respected professionally speaking and I can assure you that DCI Lloyd has not the slightest intention of helping you to move up in your career."

DI Richard Poole already knows he is at a dead end.

Not just professionally. Doug Anderson's group of friends have made his personal life practically hell.

He has his parents and family left, of course. But... maybe it's time to take a big leap. He doesn't think he'll do much worse than he is now.

"I think your idea interests me, Commissioner. But I want to have full power over how I act in investigating cases. I want to organize the police station. I assure you that I will submit my reports on time and without problems. And that you are going to have a perfectly organized police force."

As they haven't let him work at Croydon.

"DCI Lloyd will talk to you probably tomorrow, Inspector. After that, I will need you to contact DS Camille Bordey in Paris. We need her. Try to coax out of her the reason she doesn't want to return to her home island. I want the best people on my team."

Richard sighs. He knows his skills with women leave much to be desired. But since he won't try to hit on her, he probably won't have a problem.

The problem comes when he's looking for something romantic with a woman. That's not the case here.

"I just want to make it clear that, just in case this experiment of yours doesn't work, I could go back to my Croydon job." Richard warns.

Commissioner Patterson smiles in such a way that, had DI Poole been able to see it, he would not have liked it at all.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Inspector. I always play to win. I'm sick and tired of having staff sent in from outside without asking me and without worrying about the state the station is left in when those detectives go off back to the UK after they've had a fabulous vacation paid for by us for doing nothing. That won't be the case this time."

Everything Patterson has told Richard is true to the letter. Indeed Lloyd called him and asked, no, demanded that he go to Saint Marie to find out what solemn stupidity Anderson had done, not only for not having solved the case in a month and a half, he also had to find out why Doug had let himself be blindsided like that.

Before packing his bags and leaving his Croydon house locked up for his parents to maintain properly, Richard headed for his pub, the "White Hart".

He wanted to have one of the beers he loves before starting what, presumably, will be his new life.

As he savors his beer, a woman approaches, a delicacy in that pub. Brunette, Afro-descendant, a sculpted body (it's one thing for Richard to be unlucky in the women department, it's quite another for him to be dead. Not the case, he's not blind).

"Excuse me."

Richard notices a curious accent in her voice. French perhaps.

He, of course, has already risen from his chair to attend to her properly.

"If I can help you with anything." He comments.

She is about to speak when she seems to realize she has made a mistake.

Nothing unusual, he thinks.

She, who seems to have read his thoughts, begins to speak hastily.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you? It's not you. It's just that I've just realized that I've been booked into another pub that also starts with "White", but that's not this one. But since I'm a bit early, I wouldn't mind a drink. Besides, it's freezing. I'm not used to this weather. If you don't mind, of course.

Richard offers her a seat and they both sit down. She orders a hot coffee and they start talking.

"I'm Aimée, I'm a singer. I had been offered to give a small concert here in Croydon. I come from Saint Marie, from the Caribbean. I haven't lived there for a long time, though."

"Curious. I'm Richard Poole. I'm a policeman and I've been offered a position precisely in Saint Marie. In fact I was just saying goodbye to the pub today."

"Thats the destiny!" Jokes Aimée.

"I hope you will not take any of my questions about the island the wrong way. Is it true that everyone knows everyone on such a small island?"

Aimée is very sociable, but somehow she guesses that this man seems very reserved.

"Of course I'm not offended. In general, we all know each other on the island. The problem is usually the tourists. They take advantage of their visit to the island to do what they normally don't dare to do in their home countries."

Richard smiles.

"In Spain, they feel the same way about some British tourists.

Aimée asks Richard:

"I guess you don't know anyone on the island."

"Not yet. I've been asked to contact a policewoman of Saint Marie, a Detective Sergeant who is now in Paris with the Police Nationale."

Aimée ponders.

"I hope it's Camille, " Richard makes an almost imperceptible gesture with an eyebrow "I see it's her. She's my friend and a very good cop, Mr. Poole, but she has a temper. I wish her luck. If you see her, send her my regards. Tell her I'll call her as soon as I can."

She looks at her little wristwatch and comments:

"Anyway, I can't spare you any more time. After this concert I plan to go to Miami, so ... Merry Christmas if we don't see each other!"

And just as she came, she leaves.

Without intending to, Richard has attracted all the looks in the pub as she sits at his table.

The truth is that this Aimée has given him yet another argument to try to convince the elusive Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey.

And so it was that DI Richard Poole found himself in a late night bar in Paris sipping a delicious tea. How he has managed to get tea served to him at such an hour and so good he will never understand!

But one thing Richard agrees with Patterson, DS Camille Bordey is very good at her job. Needless to say, he has already got the reports detailing this.

Now all that's left is to fob her off with the excuse of lectures or courses.

Notes:

Two out of four. At the moment we only know half of Patterson's future team.