Work Text:
Thing is, when the inspector leaves for England on an errand, he’s genuinely intending to return in just a few days.
Thing is, even though his mother calls every week, he hasn’t seen her for two years by then.
Thing is, although Mrs Poole has been widowed for years, she herself has always been healthy. Until she isn’t.
She holds out for almost two months before succumbing to the illness that has been draining her. Having taken a leave of absence to take care of his mother, Richard no longer feels like he can just return to Saint Marie. Not when hearing how his replacement is finding himself at home there, being enthusiastic about the exotic life in a way that Richard himself isn’t.
So he stays. Settles back into a gray routine, taking comfort in the dreary weather of his homecountry, doing his work in the days and looking into the old family history that his mother had told him at her last. It’s a way to try to connect with her even though she’s gone, to try to keep something of her present, not wanting to admit the loneliness he suddenly feels.
He hasn’t heard anything from his old team.