Sorry for the two notifications sent, I had to correct a mistake =).
Thank you for the reviews guys :) Muchly appreciated!
Hopefully I will update this sooner rather than later =)
Enjoy chapter two!
MissToastie.
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Chapter Two :
Charlie felt a lump forming in her throat; it had been almost two years since she had heard that name.
"Are you okay Officer?"
Charlie broke her stare in front of her and looked at Samantha.
"Err, yeah...I'm fine" Charlie spoke as she cleared her throat.
"Are you sure? You went pale" Samantha asked full of concern.
Charlie shuffled in her seat. "Yeah, positive. Okay, so...a..um..Jo...Joey Collins stole your money?" Charlie stuttered out; speaking the sentence out loud didn't make any more sense than it had in her head.
"Yes. She knew the combination to my safe and she stole it. She told me she would"
"Okay, so why didn't you go to the police when she told you she would take the money?"
"Because Joey is shaggin' some cop from the Mangrove River station" Samantha sat back in her chair.
Charlie felt her heart sink. She didn't know why, Joey was her past.
"You knew Jo didn't you?" Samantha could easily read Charlie's thoughts "She mentioned she lived here once"
Charlie was about to reply when there was a knock at the door.
"Sorry to disturb you Acting Sergeant but we urgently need your signature on a few papers" Watson walked over to the table and placed the papers in front of Charlie.
Charlie signed all the papers.
"Thanks Charlie" Watson turned to walk out the room.
"Watson, I require your assistance on this case, you free?" Charlie asked as she stood up.
"Err, yeah, I'll just place these out here and I'll be free" Watson turned and left the room.
"Do you happen to have a current address for Joey?" Charlie asked the blonde haired girl who was still seated.
"No idea, but I know she lives with her cop girlfriend in Mangrove, her name is Justine Stewart"
"Thank you, we'll get back to you as soon as we know something" Charlie gestured for Samantha to stand up and the two exited the room.
---
"Are you sure that's where you want to go?" Angelo asked as he stood getting re-dressed.
"I'm positive! Bora Bora here we come! Well, you know, in 4 months after the wedding! Eeee! Angelo I am so excited!" May leaped out of bed and threw herself on Angelo. "I wish you didn't have to go back to work!"
"Sorry but you know I need to" Angelo kissed May softly on her nose.
"I can't wait for our honeymoon where it will be just you and me" May grinned and rubbed her nose against Angelo's.
"And a nice crystal clear beach, white sand. I can see it now...Cocktail in one hand and you in the other!" Angelo grinned. "But I seriously have to get back to work, Charlie will shoot me!"
"I'll be waiting for you after your shift tonight" May winked at Angelo.
"I'll hurry home then" Angelo winked back at May and left to go back to the station.
---
"So she's saying that Joey stole thirty big ones from her? Seriously? Your Joey?" Watson raised an eyebrow at Charlie as they made their way to Mangrove River.
"She's not my Joey anymore" Charlie mumbled and stared out the window. She was thankful to not be driving as her mind was else where.
"So what exactly did she say Charlie?"
Charlie sighed and rested her head back on the headrest.
"She came into the station saying she wanted to report a theft of thirty grand and said she knew who stole it. We went into the interview room and she said that Joey Collins stole the money and that Joey was shaggin' some cop woman in Mangrove River" The last sentence was almost a whisper, but audible enough for Watson to hear.
"Justine Stewart?" Watson asked.
"That'd be her. Y'know her?" Charlie opened her eyes and once again looked out the window.
"I went to high school and the academy with her, hated her guts"
"Why?"
"Because she was a bitch. Well, we actually used to be best friends until year 12 when she turned in to a massive skank. She spread rumours about me around the school and was just really horrible to me. I almost pulled out of the academy because of her, but my father wouldn't have agreed, so I stuck it out. Thankfully" Watson spoke as she drove in to Mangrove River.
"Yeah...she sounds like a bitch" Charlie said as she looked at the 'Welcome to Mangrove River' sign. "I've never actually been here"
"I grew up here, unfortunately" Watson pulled over at the side of the road.
"I learn more about you everyday Watson" Charlie smiled.
"Are you ever going to call me by my first name?" Watson asked.
"Nope. You shall forever be known as Watson. I like it, suits you" Charlie laughed.
"I don't know how to take that, so I'll just leave it at that" Watson chuckled. "What's Stewarts address?"
Charlie grabbed the piece of paper out of her pocket. "92 Harris Street"
"Of course she would be living at her parent's old house. Why did I even ask?" Watson rolled her eyes and headed toward Harris Street.
The car pulled up out the front of a small mansion that had a view of the River. The two cops got out of the car and made their way to the door step. Charlie felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn't know what to expect from Joey. She felt like she was about to throw up. Watson knocked on the door. Charlie looked up as the door opened and an average height slender woman with scruffy black hair appeared.
"Yeah?" The girl wiped her eyes as she leaned on the door frame
"I'm Constable Watson, this is Acting Sergeant Buckton" Watson introduced the two cops to the girl. "Is Joey Collins here?"
"Nup, she's gone" The girl yawned, she didn't seem so phased by two police officers being on the door step.
"What do you mean gone?" Charlie asked.
"She took off with Juzy for the weekend, they'll be back on Monday."
"Where did they take off too? This is very important" Watson asked.
"They've gone out to sea. Jo got a boat the other day so Juz took the time off work to go with her" The girl sniffed. "Oi is this about the 30g that Jo stole?"
Charlie and Watson looked at each other then back to the girl.
"What 30g?" Watson asked.
"Yeah that's why ya's are here. Sammy, Sammy, Sammy." She laughed and shook her head.
"Sammy?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, Samantha Truscott, she's made Joey's life miserable since she broke it off with her, good on Jo for takin' the cash, I would have too" She laughed.
"Are you saying Joey took the money?" Charlie asked; making sure she had heard correctly.
"Mmmhmm." The girl paused. "Look, I'd love to stick about and chat, but I'm buggered aye, had a late night" She yawned.
"Err, yeah sure." Watson opened her notepad. "What's your name?"
"Amy Stewart" The girl replied before closing the door.
"Amy" Watson looked shocked.
"What?" Charlie asked.
"Wow, that's Justine's sister" Watson turned and walked down the steps. "She's really let herself go"
The two hoped in the car and set out to drive back to Summer Bay.
"So what now?" Watson asked as they drove along.
"We wait until Monday, we go back and see if she's there" Charlie sighed.
"I don't think she stole the money, Charlie"
"You heard that Amy girl, she admitted that Joey stole the money!" Charlie shook her head.
"That doesn't sound like something Joey would do, does it? I mean you knew her."
Charlie turned her head and stared out the window. "Well maybe I didn't know her at all"