"Thank you once more for agreeing to come down to the Station," Robertson said as the three of them took their seats around the table.

"I'm happy to help all I can if it means bringing Angelo's killer to justice," replied Gypsy.

Graves just rolled her eyes at the response. Robertson shot her a warning glance. They were meant to be playing nice with Gypsy. At least to begin with.

"Then perhaps you can start by helping us to retrace Angelo's steps that night," Graves said in a very polite voice that earned her another glare from her partner.

"Well, I was at his place earlier in the day and we were meant to arrange to meet somewhere different that night, only he changed his mind and so we met at his place instead at around 7 pm," she said. "We had some food, had sex, then I talked him into going out for a change."

"You had to talk him into that?"

"He wasn't too keen on being seen in public with me."

"Did that bother you?"

"Not when we first started seeing each other, but I was growing bored with it always being his place, which is why I wanted a change of scenery," she admitted. "Only once we got to the nightclub, I could see he wasn't really into it, even though he did try to try to relax and enjoy himself. It worked for a bit, but then he got all tense and wanted to leave."

"We have witnesses who saw you and Angelo having an altercation before you stormed out of the club."

"I wouldn't call it an altercation," she said. "I just got really pissed off at his whole attitude and so I said a few things to him."

"Rather colourfully according to one witness."

Gypsy shrugged. "Like I said, I was pissed."

"Why?" asked Graves. "Were you hoping to have something more with Angelo, like a proper relationship?"

"Hardly," she replied. "I was after sex, not any real emotional connection to Angelo," Gypsy told them. "My marriage had kind of stilted my sex drive and with this new freedom I've found lately, it had kicked it into overdrive and Angelo was only too happy to meet my needs and I loved every second we were together, but it was just sex."

"If it was just sex, then why were you pissed at him for not wanting to be at the nightclub?" Graves asked again.

"I still have feelings and some sense of pride," Gypsy said. "And as great as the sex was, I didn't like the way he was making me feel that night, that I was just someone to fuck in secret and not respect in public and so I gave him a piece of my mind."

"You were seen leaving the club just after 10pm," said Robertson. "Where did you go?"

"To the taxi rank just down the road from the club and then straight back to the hotel, where I drowned my sorrows in the bar there until about 1 am." At a signal from Robertson, Graves stood and excused herself from the room.

"I regret now that I left," she said to Robertson in a soft voice. "If I'd stayed, we'd have ended up back at his place and he'd still be alive."

"Our killer may have just waited for another opportunity."

Gypsy shivered at the idea of that. "I realise that Angelo had few friends in this town, but he was nice to me and in a way, I did care for him, in a friend's with great benefits sort of way."

Joey's eyebrows went up as quickly as the drink went down Leah's throat.

"Hit me with another one," Leah said with a slap on the counter.

"You know Leah, if you really want to get shit faced," drawled Joey. "You should try something with alcohol in it."

"I can't get drunk, I still have to work," she said and skulled another sparkling mineral water. "So I'm just going to have to drink my worries away with this stuff."

"Or you could just tell your friendly bartender what is ailing you," said Joey. "Being a good listener is a requirement of the job."

"I have another date with Robert tonight," she told her.

"And that's why you're giving yourself a bubble rush?" Joey asked. "Because of a date?"

"More because I'm not sure if I should keep it."

"Why wouldn't you keep it?" asked Joey. "I thought you enjoyed your last date with him."

"Oh I did," she said. "I enjoyed it immensely."

"Ok, now I'm confused," Joey said. "If you enjoyed it, then why don't you want to go on another date with him?"

"Because now Robert is investigating my friends and I don't want to upset anyone by enjoying his company while he's making life hard for everyone else," Leah explained.

"Speaking only for myself," Joey said. "I have no problem with you going on a date with Robertson."

"Really?"

Joey nodded. "Leah, he is just doing his job, same as Graves," she said. "And since I'm dating a cop, I can hardly be critical of other cops for doing their job, even when it's me and people I care for who are in their firing line. Besides, by all accounts, it sounds like Robertson is the best man to be investigating Angelo's murder," she told her. "From what Charlie has said, he's not a cop to be swayed by outside forces or people with vested interests, which gives me confidence that he'll arrest the right person, instead of the most convenient one."

"Then you really don't mind if I continued to date him?"

Joey reached across the counter and patted her arm. "Leah, you obviously want to go on this date, or you wouldn't be beating yourself up like this and trying to ease your worries through excessive amounts of sparkling mineral water," she said. "So go for it."

"Thanks Joey."

Twenty minutes after she'd left the room, Graves returned. "The hotel bartender on duty at the time of Angelo's murder confirms your alibi."

"Alibi?" Gypsy said in surprise. "You actually thought I was a suspect?"

"Anyone who has had recent dealings with Angelo is a potential suspect," Graves said. "Especially a lover." Both women stared in challenge at each other, neither woman breaking eye contact until Robertson coughed to get their attention. Another signal from Robertson told Graves it was finally time to take the gloves off. "You lied to us earlier, didn't you?" she demanded to know of Gypsy and the suddenness of the question momentarily threw Gypsy off.

"I'm sorry?"

"You told us during our earlier talk, that Angelo liked to pretend you were Shannon when you were having sex because he got off on the idea he was banging my girlfriend," Graves said with some bite to her words. "But why would he still be calling you Shannon in public?" she asked and then fired off another question before Gypsy even had time to answer the first. "You never did set him straight on your real name, did you?"

Gypsy sighed and shook her head. "I meant to, but once I'd already started to play along, I couldn't seem to stop," she admitted. "He really did enjoy believing he was banging a fellow copper's girlfriend and it made the sex so great for me, that I thought, what the hell, I'll keep pretending," she said. "It's not like I was his girlfriend or anything and I'd never be seeing him again once I left town, so I saw no harm in keeping my mouth shut."

"What I don't understand, is how Angelo could have mistaken you for Shannon Reid in the first place when you look nothing alike."

"He saw me at the Club that night the owner asked him to leave," Gypsy replied. "He also saw you there with a redhead, but obviously he never actually saw Shannon's face, so when he came by me at the bus stop the next day, he just assumed I was the redhead you were with and I never corrected him on that."

"And you really weren't bothered about deceiving him like that?"

"Maybe just a little," she said. "But then he had his own ulterior motive for seducing Shannon, so fair is fair."

"Oh and what was that?" asked Graves. She'd known there had to have been more to this than just Angelo getting his kicks.

"He wanted me to sweet talk you into revealing info on the crash investigation," Gypsy replied. "Of course I couldn't really do that since we're not even a couple, but it was easy enough to pick up snippets from the gossip around town to feed to him," she said. If she was being that observant, it made Graves wonder if she was indeed their watcher. "And once or twice I even made out that I was meeting with you or talking to you on the phone, just to keep up the pretence that I was involved with you."

"You must have realised that it was just a matter of time before Angelo saw me out with the real Shannon and then your ruse would have been up."

"I know and he would have been pissed, but so what, I'd have just left town."

"Angelo wasn't the most stable of men, he could have hurt you," Graves pointed out.

"Of course, with his death, you no longer have to worry about him learning the truth about you," added Robertson.

Gypsy confidently looked him in the eye. "Then it's a good thing I have an alibi or you might think I killed him."

"If you don't mind me saying, you lie very well," Graves said. "Almost like you're an experienced hand at it."

"You're entitled to that opinion," she said. "Now, I've told you what happened last night and I think we're done now."

"I miss sex Joey," Leah said. "It feels like forever since I last had any and now I feel like I'm shrivelling up inside and in need of a jolly good rogering to get me going again."

"The office is empty if you're up for a bit of lady on lady action," quipped Joey and she got a smile from Leah.

"You are an attractive woman Joey, but you're missing um, certain attributes that I prefer my dates to have."

With a cheeky smile, Joey leant her elbows on the counter. "Those attributes can be purchased in certain shops."

"They're not the same," she murmured.

"And you know that because?"

"I've self medicated on occasions."

Joey chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard it called self medicating before."

"It's true enough though," said Leah. "When you're feeling the mood and hubby won't be home for ages, whip it out and get some relief."

"You're full of surprises Leah," Joey said. "I take it though, that you want more than just latex man?"

"I want the real thing Joey," she replied. "I want to be held in strong arms and have sweet nothings whispered into my ear while I'm getting a good seeing to." She sighed heavily. "I miss the intimacy Joey."

"Then you definitely should keep your date with Robertson," Joey told her. "I'm not saying you have to jump his bones, but go out, have some more fun and see where it goes."

"If it leads to sex, I really don't want to feel like I'm just using him as a sex toy though," she said. "I mean, Robert respects me and he's a nice guy and it would be wrong to take advantage of him."

Joey snatched the glass from her friend's hand. "You know Leah, it's probably a good thing there was no booze in those glasses you've been knocking back."

"I'm sorry, Joey," she murmured. "I just seem to be rambling on here."

"You're really nervous about getting too close to Robertson, aren't you?" asked Joey.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she quietly replied. "For so long, it was just Brax who shared my bed and dating was a thing of the past," she said. "I had started to get into the swing of things during my first date with Robert, but as much as I want to be having sex again, taking that next step is kind of scary as well, especially since I have this bad habit of falling in love quickly and usually for the wrong guy."

"Robertson certainly wouldn't be my choice of guy, but he might very well be the right guy for you, Leah."

"He's wrong for me in the sense that he doesn't even live in the Bay and so a serious relationship is out of the question."

"So you have a brief, torrid affair that manages to clean your pipes for the time being," Joey said.

"Sounds easy when you say it like that."

"Leah, you want to see Robertson, so stop trying to now find more reasons to talk yourself out of this date again," she said. "And remember Leah, you've just ended your marriage, so how about instead of worrying about your next serious relationship, you should just try to enjoy playing the field a little, starting with going on another date with Robertson."

"That bitch is lying through her teeth," Graves said the moment they were back in their office. "Oh sure, she sprinkles in a little bit of truth, but she twists everything else."

"Now now Doogie, no need to get the claws out," Robertson said.

"Do you have to be such a condescending prick all the time?" she snapped, then winced. This was her senior officer she had just called a prick. "Sorry."

"I realise that Miss Nash has hit a nerve with you by posing as your girlfriend with Angelo, but you can't let your active dislike for her cloud your judgment."

She nodded, took a calming breath before asking him what his assessment of her was.

"Oh, the bitch is lying through her teeth," he said with a grin. "I do believe Angelo genuinely mistook her for your Shannon and that she enjoyed the sex with him, but she's lying about why she continued with the ruse and why she's really in town."

Problem was, thought Graves, was that proving she was lying was going to be hard, since a call to her husband had confirmed the separation and that Gypsy was on a journey of self-discovery, just as she'd told them. He also admitted to arguing with her about money over the phone, which matched in with her request to upgrade her hotel room, yet Graves couldn't shake the feeling that she was involved in this, despite her alibi.

"Who the hell is this woman," muttered Graves.

"I didn't hear from Robertson today," Joey said to Charlie when they were both finally home together later that evening.

"They had a lot on their plate today so they'll probably get around to you tomorrow," Charlie told her.

"Oh goody, something to look forward to," she mumbled.

"I'm sure Morag wouldn't mind sitting in with you as she did with Georgie and me."

"That poor woman is going to be stretched this way and that if she wants to help us all."

"She's up for it," Charlie assured her.

"Well, I guess if both you and Georgie survived your interrogations, I suppose I can to."

"That's the spirit."

Joey leant against her side while they watched Ruby with their two houseguests. "Georgie's so different whenever she's around her son," noted Joey. "There's always this fierce energy about her, yet the moment her eyes find Jay, there's this softness that crosses her features."

"Shit Joey, don't ever call her soft within earshot," Charlie whispered to her. "You are right though. Jay is like a valium for her," she said. "He calms her down like no other."

Both women winced at the sudden raucousness now filling their lounge room.

"You were saying about a valium?" murmured Joey.

"I was forgetting how loud little kids could get."

"And the big kids who like playing with their toys," added Joey.

They looked at each other. "Should we join in?" suggested Charlie.

"Sgt Buckton, are you admitting to wanting to play with a child's dollies?" teased Joey.

"Of course not," Charlie replied with mock affront at the very idea of that. "I'm merely suggesting that we join our guests and make them feel welcome in our house by having some fun with them."

"Fine," said Joey. "By the way, you can have the redheaded doll, since you're so in the know about what they say about redheads."

"Oh god," muttered Charlie. "I'm never going to live that comment down."

"I am so wasted," murmured a tired Graves as she lay across her bed with her head on Shannon's lap.

"Just relax and I'll take care of you."

"I'm so glad you're here."

"Of course I'm here," she said. "Your place is so much nicer than mine," she teasingly said.

"You could always move your stuff over here."

"I'd never get any writing done if I was here all the time," said Shannon. "You're far too distracting."

Graves smiled up at her. "I like being a distraction."

"I wonder if that Angelo guy thought like that," she muttered.

"Hey, you ok?"

"I'm still feeling kind of creeped out that someone was out there pretending to be me and having sex with that man right under your nose," Shannon said. "And I just hate the idea of anyone thinking I'd cheat on you like that."

"I never doubted you," Graves said.

"Not even a little?"

She shook her head.

Shannon leant down and gently kissed her. "How about we go and relax together in that nice big tub?" she suggested and earned herself a beaming smile of approval from Graves.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," muttered Graves as she dragged herself out of bed, put her robe on over her nakedness and made her way slowly to the door. "You better have a good reason for banging on my door at this early hour of the morning," she said when she opened the door to find Robertson standing there.

"Ballistics is in," he said without preamble.

"Already?"

"We have a dead cop on our hands, which tends to grease the wheels a bit," he said. "And I'm sure a few strings were pulled by Rosetta supporters."

Graves took a moment to study her partner. He appeared slightly rattled; it wasn't a state she was used to seeing him in. "Something is wrong, isn't there?" she asked.

"Ballistics turned up an unexpected complication," he said. "The bullets taken from Angelo's body were a match to a previous murder in which a cop was killed."

"Oh shit," she muttered. "Who was the other cop?"

"Jack Holden."

"Fuck."