Updating may be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks but I'll update whenever I can

Watson buttoned up her shirt and reached for her jacket. Though there was a slight throbbing in her arm, the aspirin had worked wonders on her headache and after a decent night's sleep, she was feeling rested and ready to face the new day, starting with breakfast with Holmes. Last night, she had told Holmes of her encounter with Joey and Holmes hadn't seemed too fussed about it, though Watson had left off a few of the details on what she and Joey had spoken about. She just hoped Morag didn't end up filing a complaint against her, because she was sure that Sally would be saying something to her about catching her speaking to Joey alone.

She knew she should never have spoken to Joey and she was unsure why she hadn't just walked away the moment she had seen Joey sitting there. Perhaps it was Joey's sense of loneliness that had called out to her. Watson shook her head. Whatever the reason, she needed to avoid a repeat of it, because she'd hate to have her actions compromise the investigation in anyway, however innocent they may have been.

Taking one last look in the mirror to check that she was presentable, she headed to the door and opened it just as Holmes was about to knock. "Do you want to have breakfast here at the hotel or the Diner?" Holmes asked without any preamble.

"Here is fine."

Holmes placed her hand to the side of Watson's head. She was pleased to feel the bump had already started to go down. "I'm sorry you got hurt yesterday, I shouldn't have provoked him so much."

"Susan, you've already apologised a hundred times," Watson said. "And I've told you, it was as much my fault as yours; I shouldn't have stood in front of him like that."

"I'm just glad it didn't end up worse."

Watson hadn't yet suggested to Holmes that they should probably put some distance in their relationship, because she was honestly undecided on whether she wanted to end it or not. She knew the smart thing would be to at least put a hold on the sexual side of things while they were in the Bay, but there was no denying the sex between them was great and it offered her comfort and a distraction from all the shit they had to deal with during the day.

"Hey, what are you thinking?"

"Oh nothing really," Watson said.

Holmes didn't press her for more. "Come on, let's go get some of that turbo charged coffee you love so much."

"I keep telling you, that until you have given diesel fuel a chance, you shouldn't make fun of it."

"Seeing the spoon practically stand up on its own in your coffee cups is enough for me to comment on," Holmes replied. "Sludge is not meant to be drunk."

"How can you be a cop and not drink coffee?" quizzed Watson.

"That whole cops, coffee and donuts thing is such a stereotype," she replied, then grinned at Watson. "Which you live up to quite nicely, I might add."

Watson chuckled and followed her to the elevator.

"Ok, so first up, we have Angelo to interview again," Holmes said as she and Watson finally arrived at the station. "Then we need to follow up with Joey since we had to cancel on yesterday."

"I'd like a chat with Brax as well," Watson said.

"I'm sure we can squeeze him in." She nodded in greeting to Hogan. "Is Angelo in the Interview Room?"

"Yeah and he's lawyered up," replied Hogan. "She's been in there with him for the past hour."

"I'm surprised it took him this long to request a lawyer," said Holmes. "But at least it won't be the Battleship we have to face this morning," she added, since Angelo would be the last person Morag would be defending.

"No, but this broad is still a piece of work," Hogan muttered to himself as the two Detectives strode past him.

"Georgie, I'm so sorry for hurting you," Angelo apologised once more the moment Watson and Holmes entered the room.

"Is that an official admission of guilt?" queried Holmes while the lawyer jumped in with a quick, "No it's not."

"And you are?"

"I'm Hayley O'Connor, Const. Rosetta's lawyer."

"I'm Det. Sgt Holmes and this is Det. Const Watson."

"I'm well aware of who you are," the woman said. "Tell me Detective, was it really necessary to hold my client in a cell overnight?"

"He assaulted a police officer and in his agitated and aggressive state, I felt it wiser to keep him in custody until he cooled down," Holmes replied in a reasonable manner. "Besides, by the time the charges were processed, it would have been too late to call a magistrate to arrange bail."

"Very convenient that," Hayley sarcastically said.

"Perhaps your client shouldn't have attacked my officer if he didn't want to spend time in the cells."

"Det. Watson doesn't appear to have been hurt by the alleged encounter."

"My head and arm might beg to differ," muttered Watson, annoyed with the woman for acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"It was blind luck more than anything, that Det. Watson wasn't hurt more seriously."

"You're exaggerating." Hayley smirked at them. "And perhaps the Det. Constable should have been the last person in that interview room, considering her history with Angelo. They were lovers, in case you weren't aware."

"Det. Watson has been very upfront with her connections to everyone in this town and has been very professional in her dealings at all times."

"Still, an ex lover of a potential suspect being involved in the investigation could be seen as a conflict of interest."

"By that logic, no police officer at this station would be able to function in this town, given that they all have family and friends within the community," Holmes pointed out. "So there really is no way to avoid such conflicts when it comes to small town policing, which is why a heavy emphasis is placed on their professionalism."

Hayley tilted her head, silently conceding the point but if it ever went to trial, Holmes suspected she'd be trying to discredit Watson. She wasn't too worried though, because Prosecutors were used to such tactics and unless Hayley could prove Watson was unprofessional or on some vendetta, which she clearly wasn't, then it could come off as desperation on the Defence's part.

"Now that we have the introductions," and chest puffing, Holmes added, "Out of the way, perhaps we could get down to business."

"Yes and let's start with your behaviour yesterday."

"My behaviour?" mused Holmes.

"My client only agreed to cooperate with you and come to the station yesterday because you misled him into believing you had new evidence of his involvement."

"I made no such mention of new evidence," Holmes replied. "I merely stated that we have some evidence we'd like to talk to him about."

"See, a lie."

"Hardly a lie," she replied evenly. "We discovered that Const. Rosetta had made two phone calls to the victim the night he was murdered and being the conscientious investigators that we are, we thought it might actually be a good idea to talk to him about it, since he failed to mention either of these calls during his initial interview."

"There is no need to be condescending," the lawyer said. "The implication was there that you had evidence."

"You don't consider phone calls made to the victim the day he died evidence or at all relevant to our enquiries?"

"Angelo and Snr Const. Holden were friends and colleagues, so phone calls made between the two of them is hardly a revelation."

"Perhaps if Angelo had been upfront about the calls when we first interviewed him on the day of the murder, then we wouldn't have had to have come to him with questions."

"My best friend had just been killed," Angelo petulantly said. "So I wasn't really thinking clearly, let alone capable of remembering everything. I told you that yesterday."

"There see," Hayley said smugly. "A perfectly reasonable explanation."

"And I'm sure you're sticking to the same reasonable explanation for the discrepancies with your alibi?" she said to Angelo.

"Come now Detective," Hayley answered for him. "You are no doubt aware of how stressful situations can affect the way people react and remember and it's only when they've had time to get over their initial shock, that they're able to think and remember more clearly."

"Have time to get their story straight, you mean?"

"I'm not even going to justify that absurd comment with a reply," Hayley said. "And for the record, the only discrepancy with Angelo's alibi, was that he originally stated he was in bed and asleep, when he was in fact, sitting up in bed watching TV. Now that is hardly a big difference, since he was still in bed."

"Alone."

"Which he never lied about, nor did he lie about the phone calls, he just hadn't recalled them at the time due to his distressed state."

"Preparing your closing argument?" Holmes mocked her.

"I doubt it will ever get that far," Hayley said. "Because I'm very good at my job Detective."

"So am I."

"I'm better," Hayley confidently stated.

Watson spared a glance at her partner, who appeared amused by the whole conversation.

"You have nothing on my client other than a couple of phone calls and if that was enough to make him guilty, then Martha Holden is also guilty or did you not notice she also called her husband that night?"

"Unlike Angelo," Holmes emphasised, "Mrs Holden has already admitted to trying to call Jack when we first spoke to her and the records show that those calls came after Jack was already dead."

"That hardly alibi's her," Hayley said with a smirk. "Since those calls came from a mobile number, which means she could have made them while standing over his cold, dead, body."

"We haven't completely ruled out Martha Holden as a suspect, but right now, your client is looking good for it," Holmes stated. "He was desperately in love with a married woman, jealous that she always went home to her husband and everyone within this room knows what a powerful motive jealousy is," she said. "And his lover has made a statement that he was becoming obsessed with her."

"So you're taking the word of a distraught widow, a woman who must be feeling incredibly guilty to have her whole sordid affair revealed to the world and be shown to have been such an unfaithful wife?"

By the lawyer's tone, Watson had a feeling that while she said 'wife,' she was actually thinking the word 'whore' and it left her in little doubt that this woman wouldn't shy away from discrediting a grieving woman when it came to defending someone in court.

"Mrs Holden happens to believe very strongly in his guilt, because of the way he was acting toward their relationship."

"Oh well," she threw her arms up in mock surrender. "The distraught widow has spoken; she says Angelo is guilty, case closed then."

Right at this moment, Holmes would even find dealing with the Battleship preferable than having to put up with this pompous bitch.

"Martha Holden is hardly impartial in her current state and is the last person you should be listening to in regards to Angelo," Hayley said.

"Angelo made a threat to her," Holmes said, showing no indication of her annoyance at the lawyer. "That he would tell Jack Holden about the affair with his wife."

"I didn't carry through with it," Angelo stepped in.

"So you say."

"Of course I say that, because it's true," he said, his voice rising. "I never said anything to Jack about the affair and I sure as hell never laid a hand on him, let alone killed him."

"Pity you weren't so considerate when you were laying your hands all over his wife."

"Martha was into our relationship as much as I was."

"Not enough to leave her husband."

"She would have."

"You seem rather confident of that."

Angelo ignored his lawyer's attempts to shush him and leant toward Holmes. "Martha and I fitted together as if we were meant to be and I knew she'd eventually come around to seeing that."

"But you couldn't wait that long, could you?"

"Don't answer that," Hayley hissed at him and this time, Angelo listened.

"Martha Holden was right, you were becoming obsessed with her."

"I love her, I will never deny that and I admit that I wanted her to leave her husband and marry me," he said and his lawyer rolled her eyes at him when Angelo ignored her whispered advice.

"Even though she told you she didn't feel the same for you?"

"Martha may have said she didn't love me, but I've replayed that scene over and over in my head in the last day or so and I realise now that she was lying." He sat back with a satisfied smile, "She does love me."

"Yet she wouldn't leave her husband for you," Holmes said. Martha had already admitted to them her real feelings for Angelo, but now it seemed like Angelo had figured it out for himself as well. "You know what we call that Angelo?" She paused for effect. "We call it motive."

"I didn't kill Jack," he said through clenched teeth. "How many times do I have to say that and to tell you that I wanted Martha to choose me over Jack because then I'd know she truly loved me more?"

"Except that was never going to happen," Holmes countered with. "She was never going to leave Jack and deep down, you had to have known that." She studied him carefully as she said, "The truth is, you loved Martha and Jack was in your way and you didn't like that and wanted him gone." He was definitely getting angry again and his lawyer seemed to agree as she got to her feet and slammed her hands on the table.

"That's it," Hayley said. "This interview is concluded."

"We haven't finished yet," Holmes replied.

"Detective, stop wasting our time," Hayley stated. "All you have is phone calls between two very good friends who also happen to be work colleagues," she said. "You can't place my client anywhere near Snr Const. Holden when he was killed, you can't prove that the Snr Constable was ever aware of the affair or met with my client that night, you can't prove anything except a couple of phone calls were made between two very good friends and colleagues."

Holmes had always hated it when defence lawyers kept repeating themselves; it was as if they believed that if they hit people over the head with their version of the truth enough times, they'd start to believe it themselves. Unfortunately, that tactic did work sometimes on jurors when it came to court.

"So unless you intend to charge my client with Jack Holden's death, then this interview is over," Hayley emphatically said.

"There are still the assault charges."

"I'll be arguing for those charges to be dropped."

"On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that you deliberately provoked my client into reacting in a way that was prejudicial to him."

Watson raised a brow; it hadn't taken the lawyer long to work out that Holmes had been prodding Angelo to get a reaction, though she'd been after a verbal one, not a physical one.

"Provocation isn't much of a defence," argued Holmes. "Especially for a police officer like Angelo, who is trained to handle such situations without ever resorting to violence."

"He has recently lost two colleagues to very brutal murders, one who was his best friend and he has been unfairly targeted by you, which has put him under an incredible amount of stress." Hayley glared at her. "And knowing that, you deliberately chose a course of attack on his fragile state of mind for the sole purpose of getting a reaction out of him."

Holmes smiled a little at her. "Nice argument, you can try your luck with it in front of a Magistrate, because I'm not dropping the charges." She could see by the tightening of her jaw that the lawyer didn't like her response. "I'm also suspending Angelo from all duties and prohibiting him from setting foot in this station unless it's for a formal enquiry."

"You can't do that," complained Angelo in a bitter tone. It was bad enough he'd been suspended from the investigation, but to be suspended completely would have people thinking the worst; that he might actually be guilty.

"You're facing charges of assaulting a fellow officer, so yes, I can do that," Holmes snapped at him. "Just be thankful I'm not suspending you without pay and once more, I'd strongly advise you to have zero contact with Martha Holden."

That hurt the most, Angelo thought, the idea that Martha could believe he would hurt Jack and that he had to stay away from her.

"I'm serious Angelo, Martha is in no fit state to deal with you right now, so if you care for her at all, you'll stay away."

"I'll leave her alone," he finally said. "But its Jack's funeral tomorrow and I'd like to be there."

"Then I suggest you do so from a distance and not let her see you."

He nodded unhappily and with his shoulders slumped, he followed his lawyer out of the room so she could arrange bail for him on the assault charges.

"What a cold fish she is," murmured Watson when they were gone.

"Definitely," agreed Holmes. "But she obviously knows what she's doing, so we need to be careful, because I'd hate to have her proven right and have to listen to her bragging about how much better than us she is."

"Yeah, I'd much prefer if we're the ones doing the bragging."

Holmes chuckled. "You're not the ego driven type like she is and to an extent, I am."

"You're nothing like her."

"I'm ambitious, I don't always care about whose toes I step on and I have been prone to boasting about my accomplishments."

"The only time I've seen you do that is when you're trying to make your opponents worried about going up against you."

"Not sure that worked today." She shrugged, "Oh well, one down, two to go," she said and glanced at her watch. "We still have a bit of time for a smoko before we go to speak to Joey."

"Good, I need another cuppa after being in a room with that cold fish."

"Any excuse for a coffee," Holmes murmured amusedly and they walked out of the room.