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A couple of weeks later and still with no evidence to prove that Tim Robbins was behind the theft and assault, the case soon went cold. Callie was annoyed, she was so certain that it was him with that smarmy look on his face during questioning, the sort of look that indicating that he knew exactly what went on but they never would.
It was a typical Friday night and Teddy and Callie were on duty that night. It was going to be a slow night, Teddy predicted that if Tim was the criminal then he and his friends would probably lay low for a while and Tim had. Of course, Callie hadn't been to their restaurant unless it was a police matter, she couldn't face Arizona at the moment. Surprisingly she hadn't seen much of Arizona since she appeared at Callie's doorstep, although it was easy not to see someone when you were deliberately avoiding them. Callie was sat at her desk. She shared an office with Teddy who at the moment looked just as bored as Callie.
"I'm hungry" Teddy frowned as she looked over the paperwork on her desk. "Pizza?"
"Same here" Callie smiled. "Where from?"
"As if there's any other place to order from than Angelo's" Teddy laughed. "By the way, it's your turn to go and collect, I went last time"
"I can't go there right now" Callie muttered. "Please" she asked Teddy. "If I have another run in with that Arizona woman about the whole Casey and Sofia situation.."
"It's been weeks" Teddy told her. "Just go up, pay for the pizza and leave" she was interrupted by the sound of her phone going. "It's the boss, so I've got to answer this"
Callie sighed, knowing there was no way she could persuade Teddy to go pick up their pizza instead of her. Maybe Arizona wouldn't be working tonight. Maybe she'd be at another singles night. Callie didn't know how she felt about that idea. The woman was right, they had this chemistry together and that one night they spent together was the most fun Callie had had in a long time. But in their situations, pursuing something more could be dangerous for them both.
She walked into the restaurant. It was busy tonight and in the corner of her eye Callie could spot Casey and Sofia. She knew Sofia hung around the bar a lot more and was worried about her drinking underage until Sofia assured them that Arizona would probably react the same way Callie would if she found them sneaking booze. Callie could see Arizona at the counter, grinning at an attractive brunette woman who sat alone. Callie could feel her stomach tighten as she walked up to the counter. Arizona seemed too engrossed in chatter with the other woman even though Callie knew perfectly well that Arizona had already spotted her.
"Mmhmm" Callie cleared her throat to try and get Arizona's attention. "Can I get some service around here?"
"Someone will be with you in a moment" Arizona told her, their eyes meeting for just a second before she turned away to chat with the brunette woman once more. Callie drummed her fingers on the bar as she waited for someone to deal with her order. Every worker seemed to be busy tonight and after 5 minutes, Callie decided to try Arizona again.
"Doesn't look like anyone is coming" she told Arizona.
Arizona glanced her way, looking annoyed that Callie had interrupted her again.
"I'll be right back" she smiled sweetly at the brunette woman who got up and walked away. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
"One Margherita pizza and one pepperoni pizza please"
"Date night?" Arizona asked, noticing Callie had ordered one more pizza than normal.
"Just for me and my work partner" Callie told her, wondering if Arizona was jealous. Sure they hadn't spoken or seen each other a lot in the past few weeks considering what had happened, but Arizona had hardly left Callie's mind since.
"Coming right up" Arizona muttered. "Haven't seen you around in a while"
"Yeah well that's because I've been avoiding you" Callie told her. "I just figured…"
"You don't have to explain it" Arizona replied. "This…awkward small talk is not something we have to do. You made that clear enough" she sighed. "I'll let you know when your pizza is ready" she walked off into the kitchen, eager to escape Callie and the awkwardness between them.
Callie wasn't in work again until the next afternoon. She rested all morning whilst Sofia was at school, waking up in time so they could have lunch together then they both headed out the door at the same time, Sofia back to school for afternoon classes and Callie for work. She was approached by Teddy before she even got the chance to step into her office.
"We've got reports of an abandoned car on the side of the main road leading to the Yabbie creek" Teddy informed her.
"Let's go check it out" Callie replied as they headed to Teddy's car.
The journey wasn't long and it wasn't difficult to spot the abandoned car. Callie and Teddy got out of their car to take a look.
"Do you think it looks like someone's been living in their car?" Teddy asked.
"Were the clothes and pillows too much of a giveaway?" Callie smirked, teasing her friend. "I think you're right though someone's definitely been living in their car".
"With a child, too" Teddy pulled a face as she held up an item of toddler's clothing.
"When was this called in?" Callie asked as she checked the car. "Keys are still in the ignition but the battery is flat, my guess is whoever was living in this car is on foot"
"But where would they be going?" Teddy asked. "We're literally slap bang in the middle of two places"
"I'll call someone to take the car back to the station…maybe you should look around see if there's anything we're missing" Callie told Teddy as she pulled out her mobile phone.
Teddy wandered off down a little side road to see if there were any clues to where the owner of the car was. She was gone for about five minutes when she returned with a young woman with a little girl who Callie presumed to be around 2 or 3. They were both dirty and grubby, the little girls cheeks were tear-stained and the older woman had been badly beaten.
"Jesus" Callie muttered when she saw the sight of them both. She rushed over to their side. "Is this your car?"
"Please don't take it away" The woman began to sob herself. "It's all we have, all our things are in there"
"I'm afraid someone's on their way to collect it. Why don't you come back to the station with us and we can get you cleaned up?" Callie patted the woman on the arm who instantly flinched. "How did you get all these bruises?" she asked.
"I tripped" The woman bowed her head and Callie knew instantly she was lying. Sensing that she had to build up a rapport with the woman first, she decided to drop all questions about the obvious beating she had received.
"Let's get you cleaned up" Callie smiled as a tow truck pulled up to take the car back to the station. She took the little girl from her mother's arms. "Hello sweetie, my name is Callie what is your name?"
The little girl looked at her mother before answering and Callie noted the way her mother nodded before the little girl gave her answer.
"Poppy" the little girl rubbed her eyes.
Callie opened her mouth to ask another question but instead decided to stay quiet. Whatever the reason was, it was obvious that the little girl was hesitant to give any name to Callie at all. She handed the baby back to her mother as she opened the car door for them.
"Domestic?" Teddy muttered under her breath, low enough so the mother couldn't hear them.
"I'd count on it" Callie raised her eyebrows as they both got into the car, heading back to the station to see what they could do for the woman.
"My name is Josephine Alice Wilson" the woman muttered through gritted teeth as she and her daughter sat in a room with Callie and Teddy. "I've told you that about ten times now"
"We can't find anything on you" Callie explained. "We know you're lying, your child looked scared to give her name and you did not get those injuries from tripping" she placed her hand on Jo's arm. "You can trust us" she smiled.
"I can't trust anyone" Jo shook her head. "I'm Josephine Wilson, my daughter is Poppy Wilson"
"If you tell us the truth we can help you" Teddy intervened. "What about a husband or a boyfriend?"
"We are on our own" Jo hissed. "And I'd prefer to keep it that way"
"We can ensure that would happen" Callie told her. "You don't have to live your life on the run. You and Poppy can live under these new identities with all the right identification documents so you don't have to live in your car forever"
"It wasn't going to be forever" Jo bowed her head. "Where is my car, everything we own is in there"
"We've got it covered" Teddy told her. "We took it down to the local mechanics and they are going to fix it"
Instead of looking relieved, Jo looked panicked instead.
"I…I don't have any money to spare" her bottom lip quivered.
"Like I said we've got it covered" Teddy told her. "And we can do a hell of a lot more for you if you just tell us your story" she smiled.
Jo looked at the two police officers, trying to decide whether or not she could trust them. Poppy was in her arms, looking a lot cleaner now that they had both used the showers in the police station.
"You promise you will help?" she asked glancing down at Poppy.
"We promise" Callie told her.
"We were trying to get away from my husband. He's a bad man" Jo sighed. "He did this" she pointed at her face. "And it wasn't the first time" she broke off. "I couldn't stay there any longer, one day he'd end up killing me"
"Do you think your husband is out looking for you?" Teddy asked.
"Probably" Jo sniffed. "I tried running when Poppy was a newborn but he found me. He was so angry"
"Have you ever got the police involved before?"
"You don't know my husband" Jo shook her head. "To the rest of the world, he's a nice charming respectable man. It's only when you're alone with him that you see the other side to him" she wiped away a few tears with the back of her hand. "So we went on a little adventure" she smiled down at her daughter. "We made up new names that we would use if anyone asked and we drove and drove and drove"
"Until the battery went flat" Callie added.
"Until the battery went flat" Jo repeated.
"So what are you really called then?" Teddy asked. "We can put you in witness protection, you'll have a place to stay and officers who will check in with you every now and then"
"That is the best offer I've received in a while" Jo smiled shyly. "My real name is Sarah Beaumont and my daughter's real name is Lucy Beaumont"
Teddy and Callie both nodded.
"Teddy why don't you get in contact with witness protection and I'll go see how the car is doing?" she questioned.
"Sounds like a plan" Teddy responded.
The local mechanics wasn't far from the police station. Callie could see the car and the guys were working on it. All the stuff found inside the car had been bagged and placed to the side. Callie wandered over.
"How's it looking?" she asked one of the mechanics.
"Looking pretty good Serge" The guy smiled. "Should be up and running again in no time"
"That's great" Callie smiled. "Is this all the stuff found inside?"
"Yeah a couple of your guys came and cleared it before we got started, they said you'd probably be back to collect it later" the guy wiped his forehead. "Can't have been comfortable living in a car"
"I agree" Callie replied. "I'll take the stuff now" she went over to grab a couple of bags.
"Actually, another thing Serge. Elijah came by earlier and we told him what we knew and he said if you needed any help then he would be happy to help"
"Really?" Callie smiled. Elijah ran the local church and was actively involved in the community. There was no doubt a lot he could do for Jo and Poppy such as providing them with clothes and other bits and pieces they would need in the future. "That's awesome, thanks guys" she took the bags full of the clothes and other items Jo and Poopy already had and went back to the station where Elijah was.
"I heard about the situation" he smiled as he saw Callie. He held up a couple of bags. "I've got blankets and bedding and a box of dinnerware".
"Elijah you are so great" Callie smiled taking the stuff from Elijah's hands.
"And there's lots of clothes that have been donated. The woman and child are more than welcome to pick out anything they would like"
"I will tell them that" Callie nodded, pleased that she lived in such a small close-knit place where everyone was eager to help out a woman they didn't even know when she was going through a crisis. Of course, only the police knew the real story and it would no doubt stay that way.
"Oh and Angelo's is offering free food" Elijah replied. "I explained the situation to that young Arizona woman and she really wanted to help out"
"Really?" Callie was surprised. She checked her watch. It was just before dinner time and no doubt Jo and Poppy would be hungry. Callie wasn't even sure when they last ate. "I might take them over whilst Teddy gets witness protection set up"
"That sounds like a good idea" Elijah smiled. "Make sure to pop in later to see if there's anything else they need" he added as Jo and Poppy came out with Teddy.
"How's the car doing?" Teddy asked.
"Seems to be an easy fix" Callie smiled. "A member of our community dropped in some things like blankets, bedding and plates" she told Jo. "And there are lots of donated clothes that you are welcome to take"
Jo began to well up and hugged Poppy close to her. Both Callie and Teddy could see that she was relieved at the amount of support she was getting.
"Thank you" she whispered.
"No one should ever have to be in your situation" Teddy smiled. "They are preparing a place but it won't be ready by tonight so I've got them a place in a hotel for the night" she told Callie. "And an officer will stay with them just in case they are being tracked" she added. They had no idea how scary Jo's husband really was, but by the look of the bruises on her face, it was safe to say he had a way with his fists.
"But right now our local restaurant is offering a nice hot meal" Callie smiled. "When was the last time you ate?"
"I've just spent the money I had on food for Poppy and petrol" Jo shook her head. "I am starving" she looked a lot better now that she had cleaned up, despite the cuts and bruises and she looked a lot happier now she had a chance of escaping. Callie led them out and over to Angelo's as Teddy stayed behind to fill out the remaining paperwork.
Angelo's was reasonably quiet and there weren't a lot of workers in. Arizona saw Callie and walked over to them.
"Take a seat" she showed them. Jo and Poppy took a seat and Callie followed Arizona to the bar.
"Thank you for this" she smiled. "They've been through hell"
"She looks like she has" Arizona nodded at the only woman. "Elijah told me the situation and I just wanted to help. I know what it's like to be hungry and worried about not having enough money to put food on a table"
Callie smiled at Arizona, remembering the story Arizona gave about her childhood.
"You turned out alright" Callie smiled.
"I suppose I did" Arizona shrugged, trying not to smile at Callie. "I'll be right over to take their order are you staying with them?"
"Yes. Although count me out for pizza, some woman told me I'll end up with a bad set of love handles"
"Wise words" Arizona raised her eyebrows. "She sounds pretty awesome"
"She…she is" Callie smiled. "And I was a bit of a jerk to her"
"Sounds like you should apologise" Arizona smiled.
"I think your right" Callie added before she walked away, over to the table where Jo and Poppy were reading menus.
After eating a lot of pizza, Jo and Poppy were insanely full. Callie took them over to the church where a lot of donated items were stored and Jo and Poppy picked out whatever they would need. It was getting late, Poppy was asleep in Jo's arms as Callie and Teddy drove them over to the hotel. An officer was waiting there and tomorrow Jo and Poppy would be leaving the area and officially becoming Josephine and Poppy Wilson. It had been a good day for Callie, knowing that she had helped Jo and that Jo was so grateful for everything they had done. It really reminded her of why she enjoyed becoming a police officer, she wanted to make a difference and she wanted to make people's lives better.
On the way back Callie stopped by Angelo's again. It was closing time - she could tell by the few remaining people exiting the bar. She walked into the restaurant to see Arizona cleaning the tables.
"Hey" Arizona smiled.
"So I just wanted to say thanks for earlier" Callie smiled, taking a few steps closer to Arizona. "And I wanted to say sorry, I was a jerk"
"Oh I know" Arizona smirked. "So is that all you came to say?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Yep I guess so" Callie turned around.
"Calliope" Arizona called out after her. Callie turned around to face her. "Don't keep walking away" she stepped closer to Callie. "We've done enough walking away"
"Is there anyone here right now?" Callie asked.
"Just me closing up" Arizona replied.
"Good" Callie smirked. She wrapped her arms around Arizona's neck, pulling her in closer as their lips met again.