"My god, those media bastards have no respect at all and their circling of their prey is worse than blowies on a rotting carcass," muttered Martha when she was finally able to collapse on the kitchen chair in Charlie and Joey's place. "No offence Belle," she added when she remembered Belle had walked in with them.
"None taken."
"I take it you met our gaggle of media on your way in," said a bemused Joey.
"Yeah and at my slower than usual speed, there was a moment or two where I didn't think we'd make it through."
"I kept telling you that was what the crutches were for," Watson pointed out. "To move people out of the way."
"Believe me, I was tempted to crack a few heads open, especially the ones demanding the goss on our supposed affair."
"I did offer to fill them in on the actual facts of the case, but Martha wouldn't let me," Watson explained to the other two women.
"Because it would have been an extremely x-rated explanation filled with many colourful expletives and our son would have heard the lot."
Watson grinned in acknowledgment of Martha's description. "But at least the facts would have finally sunk into their thick skulls."
"Now I wish you had let loose," said Joey. "I would have loved to have seen their reactions when you did."
"I can go and demonstrate it for you right now," Watson offered.
"No way," Martha said. "You are staying clear of them."
"I'm kidding baby."
"I know you are, I just." She shook her head. "I just want to forget about them for now."
"Well luckily, we're away from prying eyes in here," said Joey.
"Where's Charlie?" asked Watson.
"Busy adding the finishing touches to a few things." More like she was still furiously drying her hair after their impromptu and very necessary shower after sex, she added with a silent chuckle. She knew her girlfriend wouldn't want the real reason for her tardiness to be known though.
"Finishing touches?" said Watson. "To what?"
"To the little welcome home party we're arranging," she replied. "Charlie thought Martha might like to spend a nice Sunday afternoon with some family and friends and so we've invited a few people over and are having food from the Diner delivered."
"Oh guys, you didn't need to do that," said Martha.
"Of course we did," said Joey. "There are a lot of people very happy that you're out of that hospital and they want to celebrate that with you."
Kicking out wildly, Shannon managed to connect with something solid and the moment the grip on her loosened a little, she broke free and without a single glance behind her, she bolted.
"Rachel and Tony are working, but said they'd catch up with you another day and dad said he'd stop by as soon as he's finished his shift at the Club," Roo informed her daughter as she accepted the wine glass from Joey. "Thank you Joey."
"It's like I never left work," Joey quipped as she went around the room handing out wine and other drinks.
"I suppose you saw the paper this morning?" Martha said to her mother.
"Yes and if I hadn't been out in public when I read it, I might very well have phoned the editor up and given him a piece of my mind about all of those lies he let go to print."
"Lies?" Martha said. She knew her mum was finally coming around to accept her girlfriend, but part of her was always a little worried she'd revert to form.
"Once, I might have been willing to have believed the worst of Georgie and so that article would only have confirmed my opinion of her, but I know you'd never cheat on Jack and I realise now, there is no way you'd be with someone like the woman I'd once misjudged her to be."
Martha smiled at her. Her mother's change of heart was definitely one huge positive to have come from this accident.
"How long do you need to be on the crutches, Martha?" Charlie asked her as she took the seat next to her.
"It depends on how the physio on my knee goes," she said. "I hope it's not too long though, because I'm not very coordinated on these damn things."
"Well if you need any help, don't be afraid to ask."
"Thanks Charlie, for the offer, for the party and for everything you've done for my family, " she said. "Knowing Georgie and Jay weren't alone during this latest mess, did help to ease my worry some."
"I was happy to open my house to them and to you," said Charlie. "You're welcome to stay for as long as you need to."
"That snoopy bitch could have ruined everything," he hissed at her. "You know how fuck ups are viewed."
"I'll deal with it."
"You'd better."
"If you'd held onto her we wouldn't have a problem."
"Fuck off bitch." The words were barely out of his mouth when her fist struck him flush on his nose. He yelped in pain.
"Remember your place," she hissed back at him. "Now I said I'd deal with it and I will, but I need you to do something as well."
Laughter once more filled the room as Belle and Watson duelled to the death with some of Jay's toys. Charlie grinned at their antics, while Jay was in heaven with all the attention and so were the two grown women sitting on the floor with him.
"Is it wrong to be jealous of their relationship?" murmured Shandi as she stood to Charlie's side. All party, she'd seen how close the two sisters were and she envied it.
"No, I don't think so," said Charlie. "There's been times where I've felt the same, but I came to realise that the love Georgie has for Belle and Jay, is proof that family isn't always about blood. Belle is her little sister and Georgie will always be the protective big sister, just as she'll always be the protective mama bear to Jay." Charlie glanced at her friend. "You and Georgie could end up having a great relationship as well, especially now that she's reached out to you," she said.
"Do you have any idea how incredibly stupid and dangerous your little stunt was?"
"Yes," Shannon meekly replied. The genuine fear and worry in her girlfriend's voice just made her feel even worse.
"This isn't one of your stories," Graves pointed out. "For all we know, that man could have been dangerous and you could have been killed."
This time when strong arms went around Shannon, they were comforting and she melted into them. She hadn't realised until then, just how truly terrified she'd been.
"I couldn't bear losing you," Graves whispered into her ear. The depth of feeling in those words hit Shannon hard.
"Where was this place?" Robertson asked, his interruption reminding both women they weren't alone.
Shannon looked around her. She had just wanted out of there and so had run without any real direction, taking turn after turn, to the point where she was no longer all that certain, as to where she had come from or even where she was now, for that matter. When she'd called Graves, she'd had to find a street sign just to tell her where to come and get her.
"I'm not really sure where it is," she finally admitted. "Look, I just ran and didn't really pay too much attention to the scenery in my flight."
"Shannon, it's ok," Graves gently said. "You're still shaken up and that can make recalling details hard." Shannon nodded. That's exactly what it was. She was usually so good about observing and remembering things, but right now, it was as if it was all a blank.
"What if we go back to the hotel," Graves suggested. "Do you think it would be easier to retrace the steps you took when you were following Gypsy, instead of trying to find it from here?"
"Yeah, I might be able to do it that way." It would also give her a little more time to calm down.
"It's almost like they're sizing each other up," Joey whispered to Charlie as they watched Belle and Shandi talking.
"They don't generally hang out in the same social scene, but they have met before," Charlie said. "Though I think this might be their first meeting since Belle found out that Shandi was her sister's sister."
"Do you realise how that just sounded?"
"Yeah, the moment I said sister's sister."
"This all makes for quite an interesting tangle of interconnectedness," said Joey. "Belle is Georgie's sister but no relation to Shandi. You're Georgie's cousin, but no relation to Belle or to Shandi, who was once your lover. Then we have Martha, who is with Georgie, but was married to her best friend Jack, who was also the cousin of Martha's first fiancé."
"It gives me a headache just trying to unmuddle it all," muttered Charlie.
"You lot could go onto one of those talk shows."
Charlie shrugged. "It's a small town thing." Then she smirked at Joey. "Now you know why we're in need of fresh blood like you," she said with a slightly off kilter cackle.
"Never thought I'd see the day," Martha murmured to her girlfriend.
"What?"
"Your sisters talking about their sister like this."
"Like I said, it was time."
"I'm glad."
"Is there anything you can tell us about this man?" Graves asked Shannon as they retraced her earlier steps.
"He was big, that's all I know," she said. "Honestly, I never took the time to look at him."
"What about his voice?" said Robertson. "Would you recognise him if you heard it again?"
Shannon shook her head. "His voice was low and gruff, like he was trying to disguise it or something," she said. "I'm sorry, I really wish I could be more help."
"You're doing great," said Graves. "But once we find this place, I want you to head straight back to my room and wait for me there, ok?"
"Ok."
"Well, as lovely as this has been, I'd better be off," said Irene as she got to her feet.
"Do you have to leave Irene?" asked Charlie.
"I'd already promised Leah that I'd relieve her so she could get ready for her big date with Robertson."
"Well thanks for coming Irene," Martha said. "And please, tell Leah that the food was wonderful."
"I will," she said. "Bye girls."
"Bye Irene," said Aden and they all laughed, since he, along with Jay, were the only males in the house right then, yet he'd become one of the girls, so to speak.
The building when they found it, turned out to be an old rundown shop and after tracking down the owner, Robertson and Graves had finally gained access.
"There's definitely been recent activity in here," Graves noted, pointing to the lack of dust on the floor in certain areas. Everywhere else, there was a layer of dust and cobwebs, except for those few spots on the floor where something had obviously been resting there. There were also clear footprints. "I'd say these were Gypsy's prints, but these larger ones are definitely men's shoes."
Robertson turned toward the owner who had been instructed to wait by the door. "How long has this shop been empty for?"
"The last tenant's lease ran out over 9 months ago," she replied. "I haven't been able to find a new one since."
"Not exactly a lively part of town," he murmured. He had noticed at least three other empty shops and offices around this one and with no houses nearby or current business' operating in this immediate area, then there'd be minimal traffic through here by foot or car. It was private, perfect if you wanted somewhere to get up to no good.
"Was anything left behind by the previous tenant?" he asked the owner.
"A couple of things, but I sold them off," she said. "It should have been completely empty."
"Not quite that empty, it appears."
"God, Georgie and Martha can barely keep their hands off of each other," Joey bemusedly murmured to her girlfriend. The couple in question had been snuggling and kissing on the couch for the past ten minutes, pretty much oblivious to everyone else. "Guess we know what will be going on in their room tonight."
"I doubt Georgie and Martha will be getting up to much," countered Charlie. "Not with Martha's injuries."
"Yeah, as if that will stop them."
Graves pointed to more foot prints near the window where Shannon said she'd tried to peer in from the outside. "Do you think these could belong to the guy who grabbed Shannon?"
"We can't assume anything just yet, but he does seem a likely contender," he said. "Too bad your girlfriend didn't see his face."
"I'm glad she didn't, because he may not have given up chasing her if she had."
"We don't yet know if this man was dangerous or if this even has any connection to Angelo's murder," he told her. It was a possibility they had already discussed, but he was right. So far, the only connection was Gypsy Nash and she had an alibi for Angelo's murder. There was little doubt in Graves' mind though, that Gypsy was mixed up in something and she'd really love to know why she'd been in this part of town. Was it to meet this man? And why here? So many questions and as yet, so few answers.
Charlie picked up the empty glasses. "Where did Georgie and Martha go?" she said.
"Where do you think," said Belle.
Charlie went blank, then realised what Belle meant when she nodded her head in the direction of the bedrooms. "Ohhh."
"Yeah, that's probably the sound in their room right now," she drawled. "Can't say I blame them for not being able to wait any longer, since they haven't been able to be really intimate with each other for the best part of a fortnight."
Charlie felt a nudge to her ribs. "See, Martha's mother and son are here, but that hasn't stopped her and Georgie from getting some action," Joey whispered with a smirk. "When they're done, you should ask them for some tips on how to avoid getting performance anxiety."
"Ha, ha."
Martha sighed happily as she lay naked in her girlfriend's arms. "I missed this so much."
"Same here." Watson kissed her shoulder. "It was so hard to sleep alone."
"That's never going to happen again," Martha promised. "Georgie?"
"Yeah."
"While I'm happy you're letting go of the anger, could you do something for me?"
"I'd do anything for you."
"Don't lose it all, because I like a little wildness in my Georgie."
Watson grinned. "I can be as wild as you like," she said with a suggestive leer.
"I probably should have waited to say that for when we're not in the middle of a party," Martha murmured, her face flushing.
"How about tonight," Watson said.
"Definitely," she purred.
"We should probably rejoin the others for now though."
"Not just yet."
"So, do we treat this as a crime scene or not?" Robertson mused aloud.
"Shannon was attacked here," said Graves.
"Outside," he pointed out.
"But she saw someone enter here, which makes her a witness to a crime," she argued.
"What crime?"
"We get a statement from the owner saying that no one should have been in here and report it as a break and enter."
Robertson smiled. It was exactly what he was thinking. His protégé was proving to be everything he'd hoped for. "Do that, then turn the case over to the uniforms and suggest to them that they have a word to both Miss Reid and Miss Nash," he said. "Because unless or until there is something to connect what happened here today to a murder, then this isn't Homicide's case," he explained.
Graves nodded.
"Ok, I think that's it for me today," he said.
"Where are you going?"
"I have a date with the lovely Leah in an hour," he replied as he walked away. "You can finish up for the day once you've handed the case over. Oh and have the uniforms check out all the other empty buildings around here before you leave."
"Great, looks like I'm stuck here until the uniforms arrive," she muttered. She sighed when she heard the car driving off. And it looked like she was going to be walking back to the hotel.
"This is nice," Joey said as she and Charlie relaxed on the couch, while the two other lovebirds were currently at the dining room table, playing cards with Roo, Jay and the others, including the recently arrived Alf. Her cousin and Martha looked like they didn't have a care in the world right now. Having disappeared for over an hour, they'd walked back into the room without any hint of embarrassment. Everyone knew what they'd been up to during their absence, well, except for Jay who hadn't even noticed his mums were gone, so engrossed with his new aunty had he been at the time, but no one had said anything to them. Not even a smartarse remark from Belle. It had just been so nice to see the both of them smiling and so happy after all they'd been through lately.
"Snap!" crowed Aden in victory.
"Show off," Charlie heard her cousin reply.
"Yeah, this is nice," said Charlie as the next round of cards resumed.
"You know, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I'm a part of something."
"You are," Charlie told her. "You're part of my family now."
A few hours later, Gypsy stood outside the building, her last phone call still ringing in her ears.
"I don't want the cops sniffing anywhere around me."
"Relax, I've already had a couple of cops speak to me and they got nothing. The building was cleared and the Detectives aren't even involved. It will all be wrapped up in no time."
"It's already too close. I want you to fix it."
"Are you sure?"
"Fix it and I think you know exactly how I mean."
"I do."
"I'll make sure everything is taken care of if you can pull this off."
Now here she was. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside.
Hogan looked up from his paperwork, surprised to see their latest visitor, especially since he'd just spoken to her not that long ago.
"What can we do for you Miss Nash?" he said. Have you come to lie about not being at that shop again, he added silently.
"I'd like to speak to Detectives Robertson and Graves."
"They're both off duty until tomorrow."
"Get them here now," she practically ordered him to do. "I guarantee that they'll want to hear what I have to say."
"And what is that?"
"I'm here to confess."