Chapter Thirty Seven

Charlie stared a little uncomprehendingly at Joey for a moment. Her mouth felt dry as she began to worry that she had sacrificed her relationship and possibly Angelo and Watson's careers for nothing. No, she reminded herself. Regardless of what Joey says, they still did wrong by her. They still deserve to get punished.

"What… what do you mean?" she asked, her voice abnormally hollow.

"Please don't hate me," Joey begged.

Charlie was struck by how genuinely terrified she looked.

"Just tell me whatever you know," the police officer said gently. "Okay?"

Joey nodded. Sitting on the bed with their backs against the wall, the two women held hands.

"I don't think this guy is the same man as before," Joey ventured, her voice shaking slightly.

Charlie was sure she could detect a definite tremble in her hand as well.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because he seemed the same age both times I… encountered him," Joey explained. "And he moved differently. There was something very much the same about him and something very much different."

She looked puzzled. Charlie retained her patience.

"So, what are you thinking?" she asked. "Maybe they're related or something?"

Joey nodded.

"And… well, the first time I met him," she said uncertainly. "It wasn't… it wasn't a friend that got killed. It was…"

Charlie hung on every word that was struggling to make it out of Joey's mouth.

"It was my mother," Joey finally admitted.

Charlie was shocked. Joey could see it in her eyes.

"Your mother?" she eventually asked.

Joey nodded.

"And he very much intended to kill her," she said. "He said that it was her fault… that she'd brought it on herself. I mean, mostly, all I could hear was my Mum screaming at me to run. We both knew he was going to go after me next but I think… I think only he and my Mum knew why."

"Do you have any ideas?" Charlie asked.

"No," Joey sighed. "I can only think that she had something on him. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Mum. I always will. I loved her when she was nice to me. I loved her when I had to clean up after her drug binges. I loved her when our situation got me bullied at school. I've always loved her."

Charlie nodded quietly.

"But I also knew her," she said. "I know that she wasn't above blackmail to try and get ahead. I know she'd do anything for drugs. I know she had a lot of faults. So, he could have… I don't know, been someone important or something. I didn't recognise him but if it could have caused a scandal for him to use her services or whatever then she could easily have tried to get money from him. I don't know."

She sighed heavily before shifting to look into her friend's eyes.

"Do you hate me?" she asked.

"No," Charlie assured her. "I mean, I'm grateful that you've filled in some blanks now but…"

She smiled and squeezed Joey's hand.

"I think we've come too far for me to hate you," she said sincerely.

Joey beamed at her, settling into her arms. Charlie idly played with her hair while she turned over the new information in her mind. Why, if Joey was correct, would the killer, or someone related to the killer, come after Joey and her 'colleagues' now? Charlie believed more than ever that Joey was the person he was looking for. She just couldn't figure out why.

"How old did you think this guy was?" she asked.

"I don't know," Joey said. "In his thirties I think."

"Both times?"

Joey nodded.

"So, if the guy had been in his thirties when he killed… before," Charlie said thoughtfully. "Then he'd be in his fifties now. But this guy is also in his thirties…"

She turned the idea over and over in her head, trying to figure out the puzzle.

"Maybe a son or something," she mused.

"Maybe," Joey said, suddenly very tired.

Charlie stroked her arm gently. Joey smiled at the realisation that regardless of the situation, Charlie always seemed able to make her tingle. It wasn't something she had experience up till now.

"But why would he be after you?" she wondered.

Unless… she thought to herself. Keeping quiet, she posed a new theory in her mind. It started to make a worrying amount of sense.

Next time… Charlie and Joey figure out their relationship…