"Miss Bellingham," Robertson cordially said as he shook Morag's hand. He was well aware of Battleship Bellingham's reputation and he was quite looking forward to the impending face-off. "If we're all ready to go, then we'll start the interview."

Morag tilted her head in silent reply and sent a warning glance in Watson's direction. They'd already gone over possible tactics the two Detectives might employ to trip her up, so Morag had cautioned her to keep her cool and look to her for how to respond.

"As you're aware, Angelo Rosetta was murdered last night," Robertson began. "His body was discovered by a staff member at 12.15 am and while the M.E. has yet to finish the autopsy, he was able to confirm that Angelo had been dead less than an hour before he was found and places his death sometime between 11.20 and midnight," he informed them, while keeping careful watch of Watson to gauge her reaction. There was a slight tightening around her eyes that suggested she was worried by that news. "Through witness testimonies, we know Angelo stepped out of the nightclub and into the alleyway where he was murdered, at around 11 pm. The woman who left with him, was seen re-entering the club approximately 15 minutes later and shortly afterward, Angelo was murdered."

"Or this woman murdered him," Morag suggested. "Why quibble over a few minutes?" she said. "In my experience, witnesses rarely have 100% accuracy in recalling exact times, so 11.15, could easily have been 11.25, which would give you a very good suspect in this woman."

"We haven't discounted Miss Dean from our enquiries just yet."

"But you don't really believe this Miss Dean is involved, do you?" countered Morag.

"Evidence suggests that the body was moved after Angelo was shot and so it's unlikely the killer escaped without getting blood on him or her," Graves responded to Morag's claim. "Miss Dean's clothes had no sign of blood on them and given the timeframe, it's doubtful she'd have had time to have sex with him, shoot him, drag his body to where it was found and then clean up, before going back inside."

"You're assuming they actually had sex," Watson said before Morag could.

"Oh, there are clear signs that Angelo had sex that night," Robertson told them. "And of course, we'll be checking the DNA found on the condom at the scene with that of both Angelo and Miss Dean, to confirm they indeed, had sex."

"Just the one condom found on nightclub property, was there?" asked Morag and Robertson had a wry smile on his face at her question.

"We'll be checking all the evidence found at the scene and cross matching DNA and fingerprints with our victim's and all our suspects."

"You're not getting my DNA," Watson fired back.

"We can argue over that later, if it comes to that," Robertson said. "Now, back to the time of death," he said. "Where were you between 11 pm and midnight?"

"I was home."

"Alone?"

"My son was there."

"He's a little young to provide an alibi though, isn't he?"

"Gina was also there," added Watson.

"That's rather late for a visit, isn't it?"

"I needed to talk to someone about what happened at the station earlier that day, so I called her and she was nice enough to come straight over."

"You were that upset?"

"There were other things."

"Such as?"

"Such as none of your business," she snapped and Morag shot her a warning look.

Robertson let that line of enquiry drop for the moment. "So, Gina Palmer can confirm you were home between 11 pm and midnight?"

After a moment of hesitation, Watson mumbled, "Not exactly."

"Constable, do you have an alibi for the time of the murder or not?"

"Look, Gina came over around midnight and before that, I was home, trying to get to sleep."

"When you say around midnight, was it right on midnight or before or after midnight?"

"After," she reluctantly replied. "But I never left the house once I got home from work."

"So you say," he said. "Yet given the timeframe, you could have left home at any time during the night, tracked down Angelo, killed him and then gotten back in plenty of time to call Mrs Palmer to your house."

"I would never leave my son alone in the house," she snapped. "He's only two and a half years old for god's sake."

"Unfortunately, we have no way to prove you didn't leave him alone," Robertson said. "Constable, you have had a confrontational relationship with Angelo from day one."

"That's because he never gave me a chance," she argued. "Right from the start he had a preconceived idea about me and my abilities," she told them.

"And you didn't have a preconceived view on him?" countered Robertson and her expression told him he'd hit his mark. "You resented him from the start, didn't you?"

"I resented him seeing me as a cripple and therefore not up to the job, according to him."

"And your resentment toward him skyrocketed after the accident which put your girlfriend in hospital."

"It's because Martha is in hospital that I had nothing to do with this," Watson said. "Martha needs me and so does our son, and I'm not going to fuck that up by going after a jerk like Angelo."

"But you were furious he might get away with what he'd done and that he'd returned to work."

"Damn right I was furious," she barked. "Do you have any idea what he put my family through, what Martha is still going through and he's strutting around as if he's done nothing wrong!"

"Georgie," Morag said in a calming voice and Watson took a deep breath.

Charlie paced the floor in her office. Every so often, she'd glance out the door in the direction of the interview room. They'd been in there for ages and she was concerned for her cousin. Even under the best of circumstances, her cousin could be short tempered and right now, already under so much stress with all that had happened, she was worried about her cousin's ability to cope with the added duress of an interrogation. Robertson was a fair person, but he had a job to do and he was such a wily bastard, that Georgie needed to be on her toes in case he tried to trip her up. Her cousin was innocent, but she could so easily make things worse for herself if she lost it in there. Thank god Morag was in there with her though. Morag was well aware of her cousin's volatility and so hopefully, she'd step in to minimise any damage should Georgie blow up.

"Oh god," she muttered. Charlie knew her current worries weren't just about Georgie. They were also about herself. She'd been involved in plenty of interrogations and knew many of the tricks of the trade the police used to trip up suspects, but this was to be her first time on the other side and so she wasn't looking forward to her own turn in there with Robertson at all.

"Shit," she yelped when her phone suddenly started blaring. "Charlie Buckton," she answered.

"Hey baby."

Just the sound of Joey's voice brought a smile to Charlie's face. "Hey yourself."

"Are you ok Charlie, you sounded a little tense when you answered?"

"Just unnecessarily stressing myself out over my impending interview with Robertson," she murmured.

"Gee thanks Charlie, you're really instilling great confidence in me for when it's my turn," Joey said. Charlie knew Joey had intended it to be more of a light-hearted comment, but she could hear Joey's own fears coming through in her voice.

"We'll both get through this Joey," she tried to reassure her.

"Yeah, I know, I just wish things had gone differently."

"Same here."

"Are you really worried about your interview Charlie?"

"Yes and no," she replied. "I know I'm innocent, but with no alibi, there's not much I can do in there, except tell the truth and just hope they believe me."

"I guess that's the same for all of us."

"Yeah, it is," said Charlie. "How has your day been?"

"Hectic," replied Joey. "There's a bus load of tourists coming in for lunch, so we're kind of rushed off our feet getting everything ready. What about you?"

"It's been quiet," she said. "Most of the others here are following up on things for Robertson and there hasn't been any other call outs yet, so I've been getting through some paperwork."

"Ooh, fun."

Charlie chuckled. "Yep, I love me some paperwork."

"Could be worse."

"How so?"

"You could be here helping me clean the grill."

"I think I prefer paperwork."

"Figures," chuckled Joey. "Are they out there?"

Charlie didn't even need to ask whom Joey meant. "I practically had to elbow my way through them just to get inside when I arrived for work."

"There's been a few hanging around here as well," Joey said.

"They're not harassing you, are they?"

"Not really," she replied. "They've stayed outside and were mostly just yelling out stupid questions as I walked in."

"Sounds like the mob here."

"I really hope no one believes what they're saying about us Charlie."

"Those who know us won't listen to them," Charlie assured her. "As for everyone else, well, I guess we really can't worry about them."

"I suppose not," Joey said. "I should be getting back to work, but I just needed to hear your voice for a minute."

"I'm glad you called."

"I'll see you at home. I love you Charlie."

"I love you to."

"You hated him for the way he treated you at work, you hated him for nearly killing your girlfriend and son, and earlier yesterday, he got under your skin even further," Robertson said. "And you responded by punching him."

"Yeah, I punched him, but I sure as hell didn't kill the bastard."

"But you're not sorry he's dead, are you?" asked Robertson. "In fact, you're glad he's dead, aren't you?"

"Don't answer that Georgie," Morag ordered.

"You have clear motive to want him dead," Robertson continued on. "And this isn't the first time you've been a suspect in a murder."

"Don't even go there," Morag said in a cold voice. "Her father lied to the police and is now serving time for murder, so drop the fishing expedition."

"Constable, you are a hot head, you're argumentative, easily antagonised and."

"And that's enough," Morag once more interrupted him. "Now, do you have any evidence that my client is involved or do you just intend to continue on with your inane questioning and grandstanding, in some attempt to bore a confession from her?"

Robertson had a little chuckle at that. "Now, now, no need to be churlish."

"I haven't even begun to become churlish," snapped Morag. "But it has become increasingly clear, that you have nothing on my client and so we're done here."

"For the moment," he said.

"Then I can go back to work now?" asked Watson.

"Yes," replied Robertson. "You haven't been charged with anything, so it's business as usual."

"I sense a but," she muttered.

"I've had to send in a report detailing your assault on Angelo and I'm still waiting to hear back on that," he informed her. "The outcome could be anything from suspension, to sacking or no action to be taken at all, but until a decision is made, I advise you to be on your best behaviour from now on and keep that mouth of yours under control and your hands by your side."

"Noted," she mumbled.

"Get the flamin' hell outta here," Alf shouted at them and to Joey's surprise, the two reporters who'd come inside and started asking ridiculous and rather insulting questions of her, scurried from the club with Alf hot on their heels. Alf was usually such a nice guy, so Joey was a little shocked at how frightening he could be and after that little display, she was rather relived that he was on her side.

"Damn vermin," he muttered as he walked back to Joey. "I won't have them frightening off my customers."

"I'm sorry about this Alf," she said.

"It's not your fault Joey."

"Maybe not, but if you don't want to have to be dealing with this every day for the foreseeable future, then I could take some time off and just stay away."

"Joey, you're a good person and with Martha in hospital, I need all the help I can get here," he said. "And I won't allow one of my best workers to be run out of here by those flippin' no good for nothing bludgers."

Joey gave him a grateful smile for his support. "Thanks Alf."

"We've already established you were out on patrol alone during the T.O.D.," Robertson said to Charlie. "At any time though, were you anywhere in the vicinity of the nightclub?"

"Yes," Charlie admitted. "I drove to within two blocks during that time."

"Within two blocks?" he said. "No closer?"

"Two blocks, no closer," Charlie asserted once more. "The only time I was on nightclub property last night, was when I arrived with Stevenson to investigate the call." And unfortunately for Charlie, that meant the tracking system in her car showed her being present at the scene, but because the tracking system didn't carry a time stamp, she had no way to prove that was the one and only time she'd been at the nightclub that night.

"Yet we only have your word on that being the only time you were there," he said.

"I realise that, but a squad car isn't exactly invisible," Charlie said. "And I'm sure someone would have noticed it parked nearby if I'd been the one who snuck into the alley to murder Angelo, don't you think?"

"We're still making enquiries to those in the area at the time," he said.

"That would be a no to her being seen in the area then?" Morag said.

"Just because she wasn't seen, doesn't mean she wasn't there."

"But you can't prove Charlie was there."

"That goes both ways, don't you agree, Miss Bellingham?" said Robertson. "As of yet, we can't prove Charlie was there, just like she can't prove she wasn't there, nor does it discount the possibility of Charlie parking the car blocks away and then walking to the nightclub under the cover of darkness."

"It's not that dark," Charlie said. "There is plenty of lighting in that area because of the nightclub."

"In some areas, yes, it is well lit," conceded Robertson. "However, few businesses were open at that time of night and with the nightclub the only one open on that particular block, then aside from some street lights, the surrounding areas leading toward the club aren't well lit at all and the alley itself where Angelo was murdered has very poor lighting," he said. "Easy enough for someone to sneak up on some poor unsuspecting person."

"If you really believe I did this, then check my shoes and uniform," she challenged them. "There's not a speck of blood on them." She was gladder than ever now, that she'd had Stevenson be the one to get down amongst the blood and rubbish to check his pulse, because it could have looked so much worse for her if Angelo's blood had ended up anywhere on her shoes or clothes. As it was, she had done her best to step around any of the blood on the ground, so as to avoid contaminating the scene.

"You could have worn different clothes while committing the murder," Robertson argued.

"Funny how you never suggested that with Miss Dean," Morag pointed out.

"Miss Dean was still in the same clothes as she was in when she left with Angelo," Graves was the one to reply to her. "And she wouldn't have had the time to add a change of clothes into the mix, given it was only 15 minutes or so that she was gone for."

"You on the other hand, Charlie," Robertson said. "Had more than enough time to murder Angelo, change your clothes and then get back to the Station just in time for the call about his body to come in."

"And where would my supposed change of clothes be now?" Charlie said. "Tossed in a bin to be found in the search you've no doubt got officers conducting around the surrounding areas or maybe I hid them in the squad car?" she suggested. "You can run a fine tooth comb through the squad car, but you won't find a speck of Angelo's blood anywhere in there either, because there were no other clothes or shoes," she told him. "I didn't do this."

"Angelo was in your way, wasn't he?"

The sudden change of direction in his questioning, momentarily threw Charlie off her stride. "What do you mean?" she stuttered out.

"I think you know exactly what I mean," he said. "You wanted his wife and when she eventually left him for you, he wasn't so willing to let her go so easily," he explained. "A divorce takes time even when both parties are in agreement, yet in this instance, one side most definitely wasn't all for it and Angelo had made no secret of wanting his wife back."

"Joey was never going back to him."

"Maybe so, but Angelo still wasn't going to give up on her and as such, he could have caused you both a considerable amount of trouble."

"And we were prepared to deal with that," replied Charlie. "Joey and I love each other and we were up for whatever Angelo may have had planned."

"His death certainly clears your path though, doesn't it?"

"If you think either Joey or myself wanted him dead, then you're gravely mistaken," Charlie said. "Yes, we wanted him out of our lives, but we sure as hell didn't murder him to achieve that."

"That is yet to be determined," Robertson calmly said. "Same goes for your cousin's potential involvement."

Charlie hadn't been given a chance to talk to her cousin after her interview before Robertson had called her in and so she had no idea how that had gone. By the sounds of it though, she, like herself, was still in Robertson's firing line.

"I didn't kill Angelo, Georgie didn't kill him and Joey didn't kill him," she stated confidently.

"Then can you offer any idea as to who might have had a motive to kill him, if not for yourselves?"

"Finding motives and suspects is your job," interjected Morag. "Not Charlie's."

"Fair enough." He held Charlie's gaze. "Your cousin has an interesting history with those in authority. In fact, neither Angelo nor the previous Sergeant before him, seemed to trust her at all."

"That's because they, like plenty of others, made misjudgements about Georgie based on her childhood, her family name or by listening to gossip, and then not even giving her a chance to show, that she's nothing like that person they were mistakenly led to believe she was."

"Do you include yourself in making those misjudgements?"

"Yes, at times, I've been guilty of being judgemental where she is concerned and have been shown to have been way off base in some of my assumptions about her," admitted Charlie. "Georgie and I never grew up as close family and it's only quite recently, that I feel like I'm beginning to understand her a little more and see where she's coming from."

"Do you think she's capable of murder?" he asked. "From what I've seen for myself, she's certainly temperamental enough to fly off the handle at even the slightest of provocations."

"Georgie actually shows incredible restraint given all that has happened to her," she argued. "And she's also a very loyal and loving person who believes in right and wrong and who is striving to be a good role model to her son," she told him. "There is just no way she'd do this."

"She punched a senior officer," Robertson simply stated. "That's not exactly something a role model does."

"Georgie deeply regrets doing that," she replied. "And it is eating her up inside that she made such a mistake with just one punch, so there is no way in hell she'd be able to murder someone and then hold that secret inside her without it tearing her apart."

"Not even if it meant her silence guaranteed her freedom to stay with her girlfriend and son?"

"Martha would know immediately that there was something very wrong with Georgie," Charlie said. "There really just would be no way for her to be able to keep something like that to herself."

"Do you think she always tells Martha everything going on in her life?"

"Probably not," murmured Charlie, for she knew her cousin kept secrets, especially about her past. "But Martha always seems to sense when something is eating away at Georgie and she knows when to press Georgie into opening up or when to back off."

"Would you be able to sense that something was wrong with your cousin?"

"Not with absolute confidence," she admitted. "Like I said, I've been guilty of misreading Georgie in the past and only now, am I starting to get some idea of who she is."

"Then how can you be so certain she's not a murderer, if you're only just now figuring out who she is?" Robertson asked her.

"Because the person I'm now seeing her to be, isn't a murderer," she asserted. "Georgie is a good person and a good police officer."

"Who hated the victim and has been under enormous stress lately," he pointed out.

"Detective Robertson, I was under the impression this interview was to be about Charlie, not Const. Watson," Morag said. "So unless you have more questions to Charlie that concern her, then I suggest you wrap this interview up."

He nodded. "Fine, that's all for the moment," he said. "But Charlie, you're still a suspect here."

"Yeah, I got that."

"Where's Georgie?" Charlie asked Stevenson the moment she stepped into the reception area.

"Left on a call out about twenty minutes ago."

"Damn." She really needed to talk to her, see how she was, because after that interview with Robertson, Charlie was more convinced than ever, that her cousin was Robertson's primary target for this.