(6:33pm) 17 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Leah and Dan's House – Living Room
Dan was sat at the dining table going through some of Peter's folders, he had just pulled a piece of paper out to look at when Leah walked in.
"I remember the day Pete won this." Dan said as he looked at the school leadership award Peter had won during primary school "He couldn't get that stupid grin of his face. I was trying to think how Pete would handle all this."
"Well, being a cop, he probably would've looked for proof." Leah says thinking about how Peter would handle the situation "You don't really have any proof that Drew set fire to the car."
"Well, he had access and you know how much he likes me, so there's his motive."
"Yeah, but he did tell us where the car was. Now, a guilty person wouldn't do that."
"If he wanted me to deliberately suffer then yeah, yeah he would."
"Come on, I think your being a little bit unfair."
"I think your being a bit naïve actually." Dan says then instantly regrets it "Sorry, I shouldn't take it out on you."
Just then there's a knock on the door, as Leah was about to reply: "No, hold on."
Summer Bay – Leah and Dan's House – Kitchen
Heading into the Kitchen, Leah walks over to the back door and opens it.
"Oh, hey guys come in." Leah says as she saw the police "Thanks for coming."
"That's ok." Constable Lara Fitzgerald says as she enters the house with her partner "Sorry it took so long."
Summer Bay – Leah and Dan's House – Living Room
Standing up after hearing his brother's colleagues, Dan said: "That's alright, I'll grab Drew and we'll show you where the car is. Drew!"
On que, Drew walks out of the bedroom and into the living room, stopping when he sees the police in the room: "You called the cops on me?"
"Well, I had to tell them what happened mate." Dan calmly informs his nephew.
"Why? You've already made up your mind that I did it." Drew asks as Dan shakes his head "You know, I should've known you would go and do something like this. You don't give a stuff about me."
Dan doesn't say anything in reply as everyone else in the room looks away as they felt awkward about the situation.
Meanwhile…
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Living Room and Kitchen
After the phone call, Rachel was getting sorted as she had to head back out to go meet Tony. Brad had just finished having a shower and was walking into the kitchen, wearing just a towel as he had no idea anyone else was home other than his sister.
"You timed that well." Rachel said as she grabbed her bag.
"What?" Brad said with a smile.
"You getting in the shower just as we start talking about your love life."
"You were on the phone."
"It doesn't mean your off the hook. Anyway, I better go otherwise I'll be late for meeting Tony." Rachel told him "I'll see you when I get back alright."
With that Rachel took off, but once she had left Brad noticed that Rachel had left her purse on the table: "Rach!"
Running after her Brad called her again: "RACHEL!"
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Outside
By the time he got outside, Rachel was driving away: "Rachel your purse!"
Suddenly there was a bang from behind him, as Brad turned, he found the door shut with his towel stuck in the door. He quickly tried to open the door so he could get the towel out to wrap himself back up and to also get in, but the door had locked itself.
"Nooo." Brad said as he realised, he had to do something before Sally got there.
Trying the door handle again, then switching to the towel Brad repeated this a few more times until he figured it was useless.
Sighing, using his sister's purse to cover himself the best he could Brad took off round the side of the house.
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Garden
Trying all the windows as he went round to see if one was open, he ended up in the garden.
Looking around the garden, he spotted a wheelbarrow, so he walked over to it.
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Front Door
Meanwhile at the front of the house Sally had just arrived when she spotted the towel stuck in the door and had a look of confusion all over her face.
As she knocked, she got no answer so she headed round to the side of the house in case someone was in the garden.
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Side of the House
Brad had placed the wheelbarrow under a window and was now using it to try and get in.
"Hello, is there anyone home?" Sally said as she walked towards the garden.
Hearing Sally call out, Brad panicked and fell off the wheelbarrow. Hearing the bang, Sally picked up her pace and when she reached the source of the noise, she found Brad on the floor surrounded by the contents of the wheelbarrow.
"Oh Brad." Sally said as she tried not to laugh at the scene in front of her "Are you alright?"
Smiling Brad replied: "Yeah, good. Fine."
"Did you lock yourself out?"
"Something like that."
"Do you want me to call Rachel?" Sally asked as neither of them knew about Matilda and Lucas being home.
"If you wouldn't mind."
"Okay, maybe we should have this chat about the principle's position another time or..."
"Yeahhh, that might be for the best." Brad nodded in agreement.
"You sure you're alright?"
"Never been better." Brad said in reply.
"Okay, I'm just going to go and call Rachel." Sally informed him before heading back towards the front of the house.
(7:04pm) 31 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Pier Diner
"He was naked?" Leah replied laughing after Sally had informed both her and Marilyn about the Brad situation.
"You mean not even a pair of underwear?" Marilyn said in shock.
Laughing, Sally responded: "Luckily there was some garden clippings handy."
"Aww, poor thing."
"Well, it wasn't all that bad."
"You don't think he is one of those Peeping Tims do you?"
"Marilyn, it wasn't anything like that." Sally told her.
"You never can tell these days, wait till the likes of Madge Wilkins finds out." Marilyn said before rushing off to serve a customer.
Both women just laugh as she walks away as they both know what would happen. As the laughing dies down Leah just smiles at Sally.
Looking at her friend, Sally asks: "What?"
"Nothing." Leah replies as Sally sighs "No, it's just good to see you smiling that's all and I can't help thinking that maybe Brad has something to do with it."
"Oh please, you would be laughing too." Sally points out as Leah just continues to smile and nod "Come on, Brad is my friend and he's Rachel's brother. That's as far as it goes."
"Alright." Leah replies as Sally walks over to the nearest empty table and sits down.
"Anyway, how are things at home with Drew?" Sally asks after all the issues so far since Dan's nephew had arrived in the Bay.
"Well, let's just say there's a reason I'm here and not at home." Leah tells her.
At the same time…
Summer Bay – Yabbie Creek – Brampton Road – Halfway Down
The cops had just finished taking photos of the burnt-out car as Drew answers Constable Lara Fitzgerald's questions.
"I told you, I ran out of petrol so I pulled the car over." Drew starts explaining again "It was fine when I left."
"And you walked?" Lara asks him as she writes down Drew's version of events.
"Back into town."
Looking at Dan before turning back to Drew, she asks: "Did you see anyone? Either by car or on foot?"
"A couple of cars, might have gone past." Drew tells her.
From where he was stood behind the pair, Dan asks: "Yes or No?"
"Well, I can't remember. I think so." Drew then protests his innocence again "But I didn't do anything wrong, so I wasn't paying attention was I."
"Thanks Drew." Lara says closing her notebook "Dan."
Lara then moves away from Drew so she could speak to Dan in private.
"What do you reckon?" Dan asks her.
"Well, judging by the wreck whoever did this knew what they were doing. It wasn't started by a simple strike of a match." Lara says as they look at the car.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?"
"I'm leaning that way but of course I won't know for sure until forensics get their report back." Lara says as she looks over her shoulder at Drew who was leaning up against the cop car "I never thought I'd see the day where I would be questioning Peter's son."
Hearing that last part, Drew storms over: "Hey, whatever he's telling you, it's not true!"
"Drew, just st…" Dan starts to say before getting cut off.
"Oh look, I'm not talking to you. I wasn't trying to get back at him for anything okay. When I left the car was in one piece. And he's gonna believe what he wants but I didn't do this." Drew finishes before walking back to the cop car.
(7:19pm) 15 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Tony and Rachel's House – Living Room and Kitchen
Matilda who was still completely oblivious to the Brad situation had just walked into the kitchen when she heard a knock at the front door.
Opening the door, she saw both Ruby and April who both said: "Hey."
"I'm just on my way out." Matilda replies as she quickly walks over to the table to grab her stuff.
"About before." Ruby says as she enters the house with April right behind her.
"Yeah sorry, I was in a bit of a weird mood so let's just forget ok." Matilda says grabbing her bag and starting to walk round the sofa back towards the door.
"Where are you going?" April asks her.
"To the hospital to visit Xavier." Matilda replies "Em, guys I don't really have time for this but there's things I need to grab from his place to take with me."
"Well, if you're talking about the cakes you bought earlier from the Pier Diner, you'll find them in the bin." April says as she remembered seeing them in there after checking it earlier "What's left of them anyway."
"So now you're both checking up on me? God guys!"
"I was right before about you throwing up, wasn't I." Ruby quizzed her.
"No, of course not."
"And it's not the first time either. Lucas told us that you've been locking yourself in the bathroom."
"Lucas doesn't know what he's talking about."
"Mattie please, we're friends." Ruby reminds her "You can talk to us."
"Ok, so maybe I have been pigging out a bit lately but it's no big deal."
Sighing, April states: "It is if you've been making yourself sick afterwards."
"I only did it a few times, ok." Matilda says trying to defend her actions "Stop sounding so serious."
"When did it start?"
"It was after the accident, I guess."
"When you saw your burn?" April asked which gets no reply so she continues "And I guess it got worse after Xavier and the others went missing then when all the stuff with Lucas and Lee was happening."
"It all just got too much, you know and when I." Matilda tells her friends "When I stopped eating, I was in control but then I'd get so hungry that I'd stuff myself and feel guilty and make myself sick."
"Mattie, you should have talked to us." Ruby says trying to comfort her friend.
"I know what you're thinking ok, but I don't have bulimia or anything crazy like that." Matilda states "Yes I had a problem but it's under control now."
April and Ruby sigh, then Ruby replies: "I know we aren't experts…"
"You don't need to be."
"But we think you do have a problem; you should talk to someone. Tony or Rachel."
"No, and you can't say anything either guys." Matilda said "Promise me."
"Mattie." Both girls say in response to her request.
"I mean it, you both said that we were friends, right?"
"The best." April tells her.
"And I kept my promise about not saying anything to Bianca about the chemical situation and I also promised not to say anything about you sneaking into Casey's bedroom at night after I saw you that one time Ruby." Matilda says trying to blackmail her friends.
Ignoring the part about Ruby as she had no idea what that was about, April said: "Yeah and look how bad that ended up."
"That's not the point, I've told you both that I'm not doing it anymore so, you should believe me. Besides telling people now would only stress them out more than they've already been and no one needs that."
The girls just look at her in silence.
"It is under control but it won't be if Tony or anyone else finds out, okay." Matilda informs them "I need you both on my side, please."
"Okay." April says in reply.
"Ruby?" Matilda says.
"Fine." Ruby replies.
Meanwhile…
Summer Bay – Pier Diner
"So, what did the cops say when they came to the house?" Sally asks Leah after she had finishesd explaining what had happened.
"Not much, they're still at the site now so I don't know what's really happening out there, but the car was completely burnt-out." Leah informs her "Someone definitely did it on purpose."
"You honestly think that it might have been Drew?"
"I don't know, that's just the thing I'm not sure what to think. He said he didn't do it and I wouldn't have thought that he was capable of doing something like that, but there's no way of knowing for sure. I mean he did take the car without asking and he was really upset."
"But, upset enough to torch a car?" Sally questioned "That is pretty extreme."
"Yeah, I know." Leah nods in reply as she pours some sugar into her coffee "Ugh, I just hope that the whole thing gets sorted out soon as I don't know how much more of this I can take."
(7:36pm) 17 minutes later…
Summer Bay – Yabbie Creek – Brampton Road – Halfway Down
Meanwhile back at the burnt-out car, Drew was sat on the ground while Lara and Dan finished talking.
"I'll give you a call as soon as I hear back from forensics." Lara says as she walks over to the police car that her partner was already sat in waiting for her.
"Alright thanks Lara." Dan replies to her.
"No worries." Lara said then taking off her hat gets in the car then drives away just as Dan walks over to his car.
"So what? You not having me arrested?" Drew says as Dan just walked straight past him "Or let me guess, the cops actually believed me. You must be totally bummed."
"Okay, I'm sorry that I doubted you." Dan says to him "The last thing I wanted to believe was that you started the fire."
"Yeah right. You're just looking for any excuse to get rid of me."
"I'm not trying to get rid of you. Why do you think Leah and I asked you to stay with us?"
"Because your brother wrote some mushy words in a letter and you felt like you had no choice." Drew points out "Admit it Dan, you're only doing this because you think you owe it to him."
Drew stands up and walks over to the passenger side of Dan's car.
"Maybe that's part of it but is that such a bad thing?"
"He didn't even tell you that I existed, he didn't want us to know each other when he was alive so who cares if we know each other now?"
"Look Drew, like it or not we are family, ok and I do want to be a part of your life. Maybe through me, you can learn more about your dad."
"As if I would want to, the guy was a total loser."
"Show some respect okay, he was your father."
"And you think he showed me any respect? Dumping me in that boarding school like some embarrassing secret."
"Peter wanted to be a part of your life." Dan tries to tell him.
"Aww, don't try and think just because you're his brother it gives you the right to start acting like my father. I never needed one before and I sure as hell don't need one now." Drew finishes and decides to walk back to town instead of driving back in the car with Dan.
Dan just watches him walk away.