I Can Still Feel You're Here – Part Seven

Gina looked up slowly, looking at Smithy as he sat, turned away from her, his hands balled into fists and whole body tense.

"I understand…" she started.

"HOW CAN YOU UNDERSTAND!" Smithy stayed facing away from her. "How can you…" he lowered his tone, his whole voice loaded with a mix of emotion and anger. "I don't understand meself."

Gina stopped behind him, her hand hovering in midair, deciding against the comforting gesture of squeezing his shoulder. Her gaze moved to his bruised knuckles and she sighed. "Charlie wouldn't want-"

"Don't you dare!" Smithy finally looked up, allowing Gina to see his face, his eyes rimmed red and puffy. "Don't you dare tell me what she would have wanted! You don't know!"

"No…" Gina admitted softly, pulling her hand away, deciding on another tact. "He'll probably try and press charges."

"Let him." Smithy spat, fixing an unwavering gaze on Gina. "You knew."

Gina sighed, looking away. "I was told…"

"That…that….man," Smithy all but twitched as he said the word. "Killed my wife, and you don't think that's something I'd like to know!"

"We don't know-"

"Oh come off it Gina!" Smithy stood up. "We've both done the courses – I know all the comforting words, they do nothing!" He paced in front of her desk, glaring almost accusingly at her. "Would you have told me?"

"Of course!" Gina knitted her fingers together in front of her. "But I need to find out what happened, from some other source than we have." She paused and looked at him. "Who told you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." Gina sat on the edge of her desk. "Smithy…" she said softly. "Please?"

He sighed and stood still, rubbing his forehead. "It was the one who was in here before…Kylie, Honey was showing her out, and…"

Gina nodded slowly, able to piece together the rest.

"What did she tell you?"

"I don't think-"

"Gina!" Smithy's gaze softened slightly and he moved closer to her, sitting back in front of her desk. "Please," his voice pleaded with her. "I need to know."

Gina watched him in silence for a few seconds before nodding. "Ms Burton is under the opinion that before Charlie went into the pub, she'd been outside with Gabriel."

"They were partnered together." Smithy nodded, his brow furrowing slightly.

"From what she saw…she thinks Gabriel was trying to ask Charlie out, he apparently asked her for a drink, she told him where to stick it, said she was coming back to talk to us about it…then Gabriel pulled her back to the car, when Amber and Honey arrived. She then went inside the pub."

"Ask her out…" Smithy blinked, "But…she's married, he knew that."

Gina pursed her lips and sighed. "Maybe there's more to it."

Smithy looked thoughtful before looking back to Gina. "Go on."

"Inside the pub, there was the man with the bat 'kicking off'. Charlie and the others went inside, and she restrained him whilst Honey and Amber controlled the other punters. Gabriel went in there to 'help', and the next thing…" Gina trailed off.

"Charlie's stabbed." Smithy whispered, before standing back up. "I'll kill him." His face flushed and contorted with anger as he pulled the door to her office open.

"SMITHY!" Gina pushed her hand against the door, closing it quickly as she looked up. "Let us deal with it! Let us find the truth…if you go charging in there you will ruin the whole case!"

Smithy continued staring outside through the small window in the door as Gina continued.

"If they get wind that you've so much as breathed in his direction, he'll get off!"

"He's not getting away with it." Smithy spat, continuing to stare ahead.

"And he won't…" Gina slowly reached out, resting her hand on his arm. "Trust me…I'll get him."