"Joey, we can't," Charlie told her frisky girlfriend and shooed her hand away from the buttons of her nightgown as they lay there in the glow of the morning light.

"Why not?"

"We have guests in the house."

"Yeah, so?" Joey said. "It's not like they're sharing our bedroom."

"You're kind of loud, though."

"I'm the loud one?" a bemused Joey said.

"Shrieking level at times," Charlie informed her. "And we don't want to scare poor Jay with that sort of noise, now do we?"

Joey propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at her girlfriend. "Why Miss I Have Never Had Performance Anxiety issues Charlie, are you now admitting to suffering from performance anxiety issues?" she teasingly said.

Charlie gave a reluctant nod. "It's one thing when it's only Ruby in the house to complain about the noise, but Jay's a little boy and Georgie will be ribbing the shit out of me all day if she hears us screaming the house down."

"I somehow doubt that Georgie and Martha hit the mute button when they're making love under their own roof," Joey pointed out.

"But I'm not there to hear it."

"Oh Charlie, you really are a prude at times," she said with a chuckle. "So my dear, do you intend to have this issue the entire time that our houseguests are staying with us?"

She shook her head. "I probably just need a day or two to get used to it."

"I'll hold you to that," Joey said.

"I'm already about Aunty Chuck'd and Jo Jo'd out and it's only the first morning," muttered Charlie the moment Jay had left the kitchen with Ruby. All through breakfast, he'd talked and talked and talked. The only time he stopped was when his mother had put some food into his mouth and even then, he'd tried to talk with his mouth full, until his mother had gently admonished him for it.

"Aww, poor diddums," her cousin replied with a grin.

"Honestly Georgie, I don't know how you and Martha keep up with that boy."

"It's called being a parent," said Watson. "Besides, he's not always like this," she said. "He's just excited about the sleep over at his Aunty Chuck's place."

"How did you sleep last night?" asked Joey. "I thought I heard some tossing and turning coming from the spare room when I got up for a glass of water during the night."

"I was fine once I eventually got to sleep," Watson said. "It was the getting to sleep in the first place that I had trouble with." She shrugged. "That bed just felt kind of uncomfortable, because I'm so used to being in my own bed and with Martha by my side."

"Hopefully you won't have to wait much longer before she can be sleeping by your side again," said Joey.

"I hope so," she said. "And if Martha has her way, it will be within days, though I'm not sure Rachel is too keen on letting her out of hospital just yet."

"Given the posse of media camping out at our homes, Martha is probably in the best place right now," Charlie said. "That hospital has strict guidelines about who they let in there and the media wouldn't be one of them."

"That's true," murmured Watson. "Maybe Jay and I should have moved into Martha's hospital room instead."

"But then we wouldn't be able to play with the dollies," Joey said with a sad face that had both the other women laughing.

"There's nothing stopping you from playing with dolls, Joey," Watson said to her.

"Sure there is," she replied. "Playing dolls with a kid is perfectly fine," she said. "However, being two adults who play with dolls with no kid in sight, well, not so much."

"I really wish I'd taken a picture yesterday," Watson said. "It would have looked great on the Station noticeboard."

"In case you're forgetting Georgie, you were playing too," Charlie was quick to point out to her cousin.

"I'm a mum, so it's expected."

Joey grinned at the bi play. It really was nice when the two cousins got along and it showed to her that as different as the two women were, they were also very similar in other ways.

"I'll get it," Ruby yelled out from the other room when the front door bell rang.

All merriment from the morning quickly disappeared when Ruby led the two new arrivals into the kitchen. "Dumb and Dumber are here," she told them.

"Ruby, can you keep Jay occupied," Watson asked of her as Graves and Robertson hovered at the kitchen entrance.

"Sure." She glared at Robertson on the way out. He just smiled in return, which pissed her off even more.

"I can see the family resemblance," Robertson said after Ruby had walked out.

"Ruby's protective of her family and doesn't like the stress we're all under right now," Charlie said. "So, I take it you have a good reason for barging in on us this early, instead of waiting to see us at work?"

"We wouldn't have bothered to cause such excitement with your admirers that are camped on your nature strip, if we didn't have something very important to discuss with both you and your cousin," he said.

"Oh great, now those vultures out there probably think you're here to arrest one of us," muttered Watson. "Are you?"

"That may depend on what you can tell us about the night Jack Holden was shot."

"What the hell has that got to do with anything?" Watson said.

"It has everything to do with it," replied Robertson. "Since ballistics has confirmed a match to the bullets used in both that and our current case."

Both Charlie and Watson sat back in shock.

"Can I get either of you a drink," Joey asked as the cousins digested the startling information.

"A water would be good," Graves said.

"Are you sure of the connection?" Charlie finally asked.

"Ballistics confirmed a 100% match," Robertson said. "There is absolutely no doubt that the bullets that killed both Jack Holden and Angelo Rosetta, came from the same gun."

"So are you saying that the person who murdered Jack also killed Angelo?" a disbelieving Watson asked.

"The same gun was used to kill both men," Robertson said. "That doesn't necessarily mean that it was the same person who pulled the trigger," he pointed out. "What can you tell us of that night?"

"Read the file," she said.

"We have read the file," replied Graves. "We'd like to hear it from you though."

"I got shot, it hurt, I nearly died."

"I realise this is difficult," Graves said. "But anything either of you can remember from that night, might really help us with our current investigation."

Watson sighed heavily as her mind drifted back to that night. "Jack and I had responded to a report of a prowler at a site that was under development," she hesitantly begun. "We got there and started looking around. Call it intuition or whatever, but I had this feeling that unnerved me and Jack felt the same, so he told me to call for back up, which I did."

"And that's when Jack was shot, right?" Robertson said.

"Yeah, I'd just put the call through when I heard the shot. I quickly radioed in that shots had been fired and started running to where I'd left Jack." She paused. "I could see him lying on the ground, there was blood everywhere and he wasn't moving." Her voice broke with emotion and Charlie gently squeezed her shoulder in support. "I knew Jack was probably already dead but I kept moving toward him, while keeping an eye on where I was sure the shot had come from," she told them. "I never heard or saw anything to suggest that there was another person hiding out there, until that second shot came from the other direction. It was so much closer to me than I ever expected and I felt this incredible pain in my leg. I went down and the one who shot me finally broke cover."

"In the statement you made, you said the second shooter walked up to you and shot you again and that this person wore a balaclava that covered their face and so you weren't able to identify this person," Robertson said. "Was there anything at all about this person that was familiar? Their stance, walk, anything?"

She shook her head. "It was dark, I was virtually blinded by the pain and the shooter never spoke," she replied. "All I really saw was a shadowy figure holding a gun directly at me and the muzzle flash as it fired. I couldn't even tell you if the shooter was a he or a she."

"So, we have two unidentified shooters, both of whom shot a police officer that night," murmured Robertson. "Fatally wounding one officer and now we have another dead cop killed with that same gun." He turned his attention to Charlie. "What did you see that night?"

"I was first to arrive after the initial call for back up, but the shooters were long gone by the time I got there."

"How do you know they were gone?" he asked.

"Because no one shot at me," she replied. "Anyway, I could see that both Jack and Georgie were down, so I called for an ambulance, checked Jack for a pulse, found none, then applied pressure to Georgie's wounds while I waited for help to arrive."

"What was your general feel of the scene that night?"

"Honestly, the scene was the least of my worries," Charlie said. "I was too busy grieving for my dead friend and being worried sick about my gravely ill cousin."

"Then you saw nothing of note?"

"Nothing that I can recall."

Robertson returned his attention to Watson. "Your past has been colourful to say the least, especially some of the people you've associated with," he said. "Are you really sure you can't identify anyone from that night?"

"My best friend died that night and I very nearly died as well, not to mention the fact that I was left with a permanent limp, so if I knew anything that could get those bastards, I'd have spoken up before now," she said. Watson sat slumped in her chair. "I honestly don't know who fired at us," she muttered. "So unless you intend to blame me for Jack's shooting like I get blamed for everything else, then I can't really help you."

"Well, now that you've said it."

Watson glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Are you seriously going to accuse me of killing Jack?" she said incredulously. "What, I shot him, then shot myself and then somehow hid two different guns from all prying eyes while I lay there bleeding out on the ground?"

"We have to consider all possible scenarios," he pointed out.

"Totally fucked up scenarios."

"For arguments sake, let's just say that there was only one prowler on site that night, a buddy of yours, who Jack catches and this person says something that you realise would put you in a very bad light with Jack, so you shoot him to keep your secret, your accomplice then panics and in a scuffle, shoots you, gathers both guns and runs," he said. "And then somewhere along the way, you retrieve the gun from him, which you later use to murder Angelo."

Even Graves was rolling her eyes at that suggestion.

"Or perhaps your cousin finds the gun which the shooter has left by you, fears the worst about what you may have done and so hides it to protect you," said Robertson.

"You really have a warped mind," muttered an angry Watson.

"And you have a temper," he replied. "Maybe Jack was just in your way," he said. "Jealousy can be such a motivator for wanting to remove obstacles."

"I didn't get rid of Jack so I could have Martha if that's what you're implying," she said. "Neither of us expected to fall in love like we did, it just happened."

"You were attracted to her before though, right?"

"She's a beautiful woman, so yeah, I can't deny that I was attracted to her, but Jack was my best mate and I'm the one who helped them get together in the first place."

"So, no jealousy at all then?"

"None."

"Really?"

"I've been jealous of a lot of things in my life," she said. "Jealous of those who had a nice, comfy childhood where you didn't have to be afraid of your own father, jealous of those who never had to struggle with their reading, I've been jealous of many things, but I was never jealous of Jack being with Martha, so why don't you take your fucked up theories and get the fuck out of here."

Robertson surprised them all by chuckling. "Fucked up theories they may be, but you can be assured that there will be some who will choose to believe such theories," he said.

"Are you one of those people?" Charlie said.

"Do I honestly believe that Watson was involved in any way with Jack's death?" he said. "No, I don't, but I have to look into every possibility and right now, I'm trying to understand what happened that night and how the gun that was used to murder Jack, ended up being used to kill another cop a few years later." He stared at them both. "Now, given the circumstances both then and now, then it's not unreasonable for me to consider that both of you could have had access to the murder weapon at some stage that night and as you both have motives for wanting Angelo dead, then surely you can understand why I'm asking these questions."

As much as she hated to admit it, Charlie could see where he was coming from and one look at her cousin's expression told her she was thinking along the same lines. Two murders linked by one gun and two cousins, both at the scene of one murder and both with motives for the second murder.

"I do get why you're asking," Charlie said. "But I didn't take that gun, I never even saw a gun that night, except for our police side arms."

"And the only one I saw was being pointed at me right before I was shot again," added Watson. "And after that, I was in no condition to do anything."

"There were two shooters that we know of that night," Charlie said. "Either one of them could have kept that gun all this time."

"True," conceded Robertson. "And since guns used in serious crimes also have a tendency to get sold onto other criminals, then it's entirely possible that the only link between Jack and Angelo is the gun itself," he said. "This particular gun though, is a cop killer, which makes it both dangerous to keep, yet just as dangerous to get rid of, because you have no idea if it could turn up unexpectedly and so you run the risk of having the original questions being asked once more."

"Like turning up in another murder," Joey added quietly from where she'd been listening in. "But then you'd hardly risk leaving it at the scene where it could be found by the police either, would you?"

"Unless you were confident it couldn't be traced back to you," he said. "Whereas selling it onto someone else, especially in a small town like this, runs a greater risk of leaving a trail right back to you if that person is later caught with the gun," he explained. "We really need to know whose hands that gun left in and where it has been all this time," he told them. "Was it with Jack's killer and that person is also Angelo's killer? Or did he toss that gun at the scene where Charlie or Watson could have picked it up or did he move it onto someone else afterwards? It's even possible that the gun could have changed various hands in the intervening years before it then ended up in the hands of Angelo's killer," he theorised. "Unfortunately, tracing that gun's history is just one of the problems we face, along with identifying suspects for each murder separately and also considering if any of our suspects for Angelo's murder, could also have been involved in Jack's murder."

"Well, while you're considering all of that, I'm getting out of here," Watson said. "I need to tell Martha about the gun and Tony should know as well."

"We can tell Mr Holden for you," offered Graves.

Watson shook her head. "Jack was my best friend, it should come from me." She walked into the other room and swooped up her son, holding him tight for a moment. "Let's go see mum," she said to him. Without another word to Robertson, she walked passed him and out the backdoor.

"I have an idea who some of your other suspects in Angelo's murder likely are," Charlie said once the door was closed. "And I can't see them being involved in either his or Jack's murder."

"Like I said, we need to look at all possibilities," replied Robertson. "Now, back to Jack's murder. What can you tell me about the suspects at the time?"

"The development site had been having trouble with environmental protestors and they'd had issues with trespassers before," she explained. "Which was why the protestors were amongst the first people interviewed," she told him. "They all had alibis though."

"How solid were the alibis?"

"Some more solid than others, but there was no evidence to connect anyone from the protests to the shootings," she said. "Investigators also ran checks against all the recent arrests Georgie and Jack had made in case it was a revenge attack, but nothing really stood out," Charlie said. "The family of the dead girl that Jack had been forced to shoot was also interviewed and they even looked into people from Georgie's background, like the River Boys and people she'd gotten offside with. Again though, nothing came of it."

"It was eventually ruled as a random shooting," he said. "Is that the way you see it?"

Charlie sighed. "Yes and no," she replied. "Sometimes I think it was just random and that Jack and Georgie were just incredibly unlucky to be there at the wrong time, yet there have also been occasions where I have wondered if Jack and Georgie were called to that site just so they could be taken out."

"Them specifically or any cops that answered the call?"

"If it was planned ahead, then it's certainly possible that they were after Georgie and Jack that night," she said. "It was a Monday and so at that time of night, we generally only have a couple of officers on duty at the station and one patrol car out."

"So, if one knew which officers were on duty that night, then it'd be pretty easy to find out who was manning the station, which would then tell them who was on patrol, before they make the call about a prowler being seen," he murmured. Any local would also know that the police increased patrols and the number of officers on duty later in the week when people were more likely to be out drinking or partying late, so striking earlier in the week might have been part of the plan, if it was pre-meditated, he silently added. It still didn't necessarily mean that Jack and Watson were the direct targets; they could just have easily have been after any cops that were on patrol.

"Which is why I have had some thoughts about it being a set up," Charlie was saying and Robertson drew his attention back to her. "There's just nothing to support that though or to point to a viable suspect who actually had the opportunity to be there that night."

"Then we're really no closer to where we started," he said.

"I'd say a little further behind, since it's now a case of two murders," said Graves.