Chapter 3

In the corridor, Ruby paced up and down fretting more when she heard her mother begin to cry. Leah tried to comfort the teenager, but Ruby shrugged her off. Both women looked at the door as Watson exited, noticing the tears that she had been unable to blink away.

"Is she OK?" Ruby almost demanded.

Watson shrugged. "Why don't you ask her, I just need to ask Leah a few questions." She gave Leah a pointed look, and as Ruby disappeared in to see Charlie, Watson took Leah into a side room.

"Charlie has identified her attacker. I'm going to need you to come down to the station and make a full statement about what you saw last night. I need this case to be watertight. The bastard isn't getting away with anything this time."

Leah bit her lip. "She named Angelo, didn't she?" She felt sick just saying his name. "I saw the scratches on his face this morning."

Watson nodded gravely.

"Is there any possibility that someone else attacked Charlie after Angelo left her?" Although she had seen the look on Charlie's face as she left the diner, and the mess that she was in after the attack, Leah didn't want to think that one of their friends, someone who had been in her home many times, someone who claimed to love Charlie, could have been capable of this.

Watson looked doubtful. "Well, I suppose its possible. However Charlie has named him as her attacker."

"And no head injuries? She's not blocking out anything after Angelo?"

Watson shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. We have to be here to support Charlie. That's the most important thing right now." A lot of people will have difficulty accepting this, thought Watson.

"If you need anything, give me a call. OK" Watson squeezed Leah's shoulder reassuringly and left to chase up the skin samples.

Ruby held Charlie tightly. Their roles were currently reversed; Ruby being the adult comforting Charlie, a scared child.

How did this happen to me again? Have I done something to deserve this in some way? Why couldn't I fight him off? Could I have screamed louder? I said no. I kept saying no! Why did he do this? Charlie clung on to Ruby, trying to silence the voice in her head.

Ruby stroked Charlie's hair, and kissed her forehead, trying to soothe her. "What happened Charlie? Can you tell me what happened?" Ruby was trying to stay strong, she wasn't used to being the one to offer comfort to her mother.

"I said no. I kept saying no." Charlie whimpered. "Why didn't he listen?" She looked up at Ruby, so lost, so broken.

Ruby felt her heart break.

"Who, Charlie? Who did this?"

Charlie spoke so quietly Ruby could barely hear her. "Angelo."

Sitting in his office, a bead of sweat rolled down Angelo's forehead and dripped onto the desk. He sat with his head in his hands, hardly able to comprehend what he had been told.

It couldn't have been me. I didn't rape her. I told her I loved her. She wanted me. Didn't she? We're back together. It wasn't me. What if they think it was? I could lose this promotion! If she was attacked after I left her, and they don't find him, I could get the blame. It wasn't me.

Recalling a comment that Avery had made when taking his statement as to his whereabouts last night, Angelo picked up the phone to call in a favour.

It wasn't me. But they'll never believe me. I couldn't do that to Charlie. I love her. But if they think it's me, they'll stop looking for the real culprit.

Ruby backed away from Charlie.

"Are you sure?" she squeaked.

Charlie nodded and started to cry, briefly having looked Ruby in the eye, she now returned her gaze to the window.

"But he loves you Charlie! Why would Angelo do this?" Ruby couldn't bring herself to say the word 'rape'. Looking at how broken Charlie was, she didn't want to believe her. Why would the man who loved her mother do this? Angelo had declared his love for Charlie on so many occasions. He had even followed her around like a lovesick puppy, watching her every move, when they had split up. Ruby had thought it quite romantic.

Charlie continued to cry quietly.

"He wouldn't do this Charlie. He loves you!" Not comprehending the pain that Charlie was in, not realising that she needed her unconditional support, Ruby inadvertently broke Charlie just that little bit more.

"He can't have! You must have got it wrong! He loves you Charlie!" Unable to cope with Charlie's tears, or who her mother believed had done this, Ruby fled the room.

Leah stood by the door, unsure of whether to go after Ruby, or stay with Charlie. She gazed down the corridor after the teenager. Hearing a muffled sob brought her attention back to the room.

Stepping inside, she wrapped her arms around Charlie, she held her tight. "It'll be OK Charlie. We'll get through this." She said quietly.

Charlie continued to sob.

Watson screamed down the phone. "What do you mean you've lost them?" The air turned blue as she continued to berate the incompetent lab manager.

In his office, Angelo breathed a sigh of relief. They can start looking for who really did this now.

Charlie was curled up on the couch, in near darkness with the curtains pulled tightly shut. She hadn't left the house since she'd been discharged from hospital 3 days ago. Leah was worried. In the kitchen she spoke into the phone quietly so as not to disturb Charlie.

"Ok. Thanks Morag, see you later." Making her way into the lounge, Leah attempted to draw the curtains. Charlie didn't move, continuing to stare into space.

"Hey," Leah attempted conversation. "It's a beautiful day out there. Do you fancy going for a walk?"

"No."

Charlie had communicated in monosyllables since getting home, and then only when she had to.

Sighing, Leah returned to the kitchen, wishing that Morag could arrive sooner.

Watson threw her pen down in frustration. Since the skin samples had gone missing, the case against Angelo had all but disappeared; her superiors had given her strict orders to drop the case against him. They didn't want anything to be seen to sully the character of their golden boy. Angelo had been playing the grieving boyfriend, upset that he wasn't allowed to comfort Charlie and be there for her; making sure the whole town knew how much he loved her and how upset he was. He had been so happy that they were back together; the town had rallied around him more than they had Charlie. It probably hadn't helped that Charlie had not dare set foot outside since the attack. A wrongly accused man, Colleen and her rumour mill and taken no time in informing the town how a 'good man like Sergeant Risotto could never hurt Charlie because he loves her so much'. It was Charlie's word against Angelo's. Angelo maintained they had had consensual sex, celebrating getting back together, and he was devastated that he couldn't be out there catching the real perpetrator.

Charlie was certain in her conviction that Angelo had indeed raped her. And Watson very much believed Charlie. However, without any evidence, she had no choice but to close the case. Officially. Unofficially she would still be chasing after those missing samples, and keeping a close eye on Angelo.

The ground swell of support for Angelo certainly hadn't helped. She was getting more grief for investigating him than she ever thought possible. Even Ruby had defended him.

She sighed heavily, and closed the file. Poor Charlie.

"Come on Charlie. Lets just go out for a coffee, and get some fresh air." Morag tried cajoling Charlie off the couch.

Charlie stared into space and shook her head. Morag and Leah exchanged glances, and Leah shrugged in a 'told you' kind of way.

Morag sat next to Charlie and took her hands, forcing Charlie to look at her. "Look at me Charlie." Morag used a commanding yet gentle tone. "You haven't done anything wrong here Charlie. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You have no need to hide away."

Charlie's eyes filled with anger. "So why hasn't he been arrested yet? It's just like before. Nobody really believes me." Tears began to slide down her cheeks silently. "Not even Ruby believes me!"

Morag pulled the distraught woman into her arms in an uncharacteristic show of love and support.

Charlie continued to cry.