It Should Have Been Me | Death in Paradise

It Should Have Been Me

It was a sombre day in Saint Marie. The sun was shining bright, casting a warm glow on the streets, but the mood was anything but cheerful. Jack Mooney watched as JP Hooper and Ruby Patterson loaded Harrison Green into the back of the police jeep. Harrison's head was down, his hands cuffed behind his back, and he couldn't even bring himself to make eye contact with anyone. Jack could see the tears streaming down his face, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of empathy for the man.

The detective had just solved the case of the murder of Tiana Palmer, but as the adrenaline of the arrest began to fade, Jack couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss. He normally felt a sense of completion and satisfaction when he solved a case, but this time it was different. Maybe it was because the case had felt so personal and deep. He had seen first-hand how the investigation had been tearing Florence Cassell and her fiancée Patrice Campbell apart, and it broke his heart to see them argue.

Jack stood there, deep in thought, whilst Florence walked behind him, her face etched with worry. "I don't know what to do, he's so upset."

"You just go to him, Florence," Jack said sympathetically. "We'll deal with this, okay?"

"Thank you," Florence replied with a small smile, but stopped in her turn. "Actually, could you stay behind?"

Jack couldn't help but feel confused by her request.

"I'm just feeling uneasy about this whole thing," Florence confessed. "I want you nearby."

"Of course, Florence. I'll give the keys to JP, and I'll be right here, alright?" Jack comforted, as he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Florence nodded, grateful, and walked over to where Patrice was standing. But before she walked too far, she overheard a conversation Patrice was having over the phone and flattened herself against the wooden wall of his bar.

"Just listen to me, please. Look, I know he didn't do this! We need to do something!" Patrice said with evident emotion.

He paused as he let the unknown over the phone speak.

"Do you know what's been going on?" he asked. "Then we need to talk. Yeah, I know it. 20 minutes."

And with that, Patrice put the phone down into his pocket. Florence took the opportunity to talk to him, pretending she hadn't heard the call.

"Are you okay?" Florence asked with caution.

Patrice began closing the doors to the bar and turned to look at Florence.

"Yeah. Look... I'm sorry." he said as he took Florence's hands in his. "I know this isn't your fault."

"Well, can we talk about this?" she said with a furrowed brow.

"Yes. Just... not right now. There's something I need to do."

"What?"

Patrice planted a kiss on Florence's lips. "I'll tell you later."

His demeanour had changed, Florence noted to herself, and watched him walk quickly to an orange car parked on the street.

It was then that Florence knew what she had to do next.

She turned around and ran back to Jack, who was leaning against a rail and watching the sea.

"Florence?" Jack said, surprised to see her a bit frantic.

"We need to follow Patrice," she said rapidly. "I overheard a conversation, he's going to meet someone. I don't know who, but... he's just gone into his car."

A million questions went into Jack's head, but he could see the determination on Florence's face. He complied with no questions, knowing there was no time to lose. "We haven't got the Jeep."