Angelo climbs off the bed, his workout session finished. Reaching into his pocket as he dresses, he tosses the money onto the bed near the woman.
"What's this for?"
"If you're going to act like a whore you may as well be treated as one."
"Fuck you cop."
"Hey, if you'd like, I can still have you charged with shop lifting and that wouldn't go down well for you, not with your record."
"I'll tell them what you just did to me."
He laughs at her, "Go ahead, no one will believe you, not with your history. Besides, I gave you the choice, jail or sex." Smirking down at her, "You're the one who chose this you fucking little whore, so deal with it."
"I'll tell my husband," she threatens.
"Oh please, Kane's an ex-con, it'd be very easy to put him back where he belongs."
"He hasn't done anything wrong."
"It wouldn't take much, an anonymous call, an illegal substance found on him; he'd lose his parole and go straight back to jail to be some guy's bitch-boy." Kirsty cowers against the malice in his eyes. "If I were you Kirsty, I'd keep your mouth shut and don't get into any more trouble," caressing her face, he then grips her chin painfully, forcing her to look at him, "unless of course, you enjoy serving out your punishment with me."
"Get away from me," clutching the sheets around her.
"Admit it Kirsty, you love playing the bad girl, fucking the cop in your own bed."
"You're a sick bastard."
"Kirsty, Kirsty, Kirsty," he sniggers, "Every time you fuck your husband, do you get off on remembering what he did to your sister. How he tied her up and raped her over and over again before he tossed her over the side of the boat?"
"Kane didn't do it."
"You stupid bitch, of course he did it. Did you think your sister just named him for the fun of it?" Sniggering again at her expression, Angelo shakes his head. "Even for a woman, you have got to be one of the stupidest I've ever met; you actually believe he didn't do it."
"If Kane is all those things, then you're no different to him," Kirsty throws back at him, still not believing her husband was capable of such a crime.
"We're nothing alike, Kane is scum and so are you; I, on the other hand, am a respectable police officer with a gorgeous fiancé who happens to be in charge of all the other cops. Just remember that the next time you think of throwing slanderous accusations around." Angelo walks to the door, glancing around, "Nice bedroom you have here, keep your mouth shut and your nose clean and I won't have to see it again." Holding up the bottle of booze she had stolen, "Thanks for this, it'll go down a treat tonight with Charlie." Angelo strolls out of the house, feeling relaxed after working out his frustration, whistling at his good fortune to have been standing right there when Kirsty tried to steal the grog. Smiling as he remembers the shock on her face when she turned and saw him there. Knowing she was trying to get her kid back, he had made the offer and wasn't at all surprised when she accepted. Glancing back at the house, Angelo decides that a return visit may be in order, finding the fear and disgust on her face a massive turn on.
"Congratulations Sergeant," Joey calls out from the car park first thing the next morning. Not feeling her best after an evening of drinking and make-up sex that had left her feeling confused and unsatisfied, the last thing Charlie needed was to have to deal with the one person who always seemed to get a reaction out of her, despite her best efforts to stay calm. Cursing herself for being in such a poor condition, Charlie waits for the detective to catch up with her. "I saw the reprimand in the Constable's file, just like you assured me it would be," Joey says as she nears her.
"There's no need to gloat Detective, I said I'd do it and I meant it."
"Forgive my scepticism Sergeant, but after your behaviour yesterday, can you really blame me for doubting that you'd reprimand your own fiancé after you nearly had sex with him in your office?"
Charlie lets out a frustrated breath at the reminder, "Look Detective, I know you have a low opinion of me, but when I say I'm going to do something, I do it."
"Noted," Joey concedes. "So where's Rosetta?"
"Why do you care?" Charlie snaps at her.
"Someone got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning," Joey says, trying not to smile at the furious look on the Sergeant's face.
"Detective, unless you have official police business to discuss with me, I'd prefer that you stay the fuck away from me," Charlie's voice rising on the last few words.
"Sergeant, if you're not up to scratch today, perhaps you should go home and sleep it off."
Charlie glares at her, knowing she was right but hating the pleasure the detective seemed to be taking in her discomfort. "I don't want to talk to you or see you unless it's about police work, is that clear Det. Collins?"
"Sergeant, if you must know, I asked you about Rosetta because I wanted to talk to him about the investigation, which just so happens to be official police business, now, I am sorry if that somehow upset you, but I only asked you as I assumed that he would have arrived with you."
"Angelo doesn't start until the afternoon shift, Detective, which you could have asked any other officer."
"Sergeant, we're standing outside and I just happened to see you on my way in so I thought, what the hell, I'd ask you. Is that really such a problem Sergeant, asking you a simple question, which you of all people should be able to answer? I mean you are sleeping with the guy, so I assumed you'd know where he was."
Not appreciating the detective's sarcasm one bit, Charlie tries to keep her tone neutral, "Just because I'm engaged to Angelo, that doesn't mean that I know where he is every second of the day; we're not attached at the hip, you know."
"I don't think it's the hip that you're attached by, if yesterday's little scene is anything to go by," Joey quips.
"Detective, you are rude, you are obnoxious and you are arrogant and I'm not standing out here any longer to put up with it. Now, I suggest that if you want to talk to Angelo, that you do your job and find him yourself."
"That's ok, I guess it wasn't all that important," Joey says as she walks past her and toward the station, a furious Charlie right on her heel.
"Detective, a word," Charlie barks out.
Stopping in her tracks and turning to face Charlie, Joey puts her hands in her pockets as she regards her calmly.
"I am a Sergeant and I am the senior officer of this police station and while you are here you will treat me as such, are we understanding each other?"
"You're still a suspect in a murder and if even a fraction of Moreland's claims are true, then this station is a hotbed of crime and corruption, so forgive me Sergeant, if I don't bow and scrap at the feet of the officer in charge of this rabble."
"There is no evidence to any of Trevor's claims. He obviously had a problem and instead of dealing with it, he created this fantasy world where everyone is corrupt."
"Do even believe that bullshit Sergeant or are you just trying to convince yourself that you haven't been blind to the goings on here?"
"I know my officers."
"Like you knew Welsh?"
Cursing at the reminder of Welsh's betrayal, Charlie is forced to admit that she obviously didn't know Welsh as well as she thought she did.
"Welsh was being blackmailed."
"What!"
"He was set up with an underage girl."
"He was married," Charlie blurts out, realising how stupid it sounded the second she saw the detective's expression.
"Oh please Sergeant, not even you're that naïve."
"I just meant that I thought he and his wife were happy."
"Maybe he was but he still liked a little on the side. Some guys, they just can't seem to get enough or even wait for more appropriate moments," having another dig at Charlie's unfortunate display the previous day. "Do you know where your fiancé goes when he's not at work or home?"
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer, Detective," Charlie says.
"Look Sergeant, you clearly have a problem with me," pausing when Charlie snorts, "Now, unless you or Rosetta want to confess, you're stuck with me, so learn to deal with it, because I have no intention of changing or going easy on you." Not waiting for a reply, Joey heads into the station, with Charlie trudging a few metres behind, wondering what it was about this woman that always set her on edge.
Angelo's feeling great on his morning off, extremely pleased that for once, Charlie had instigated the sex the night before and had enjoyed it as much as he had. Walking towards the diner, he sees her sitting alone outside. Thinking that this was his chance to get to know her better without that bitch being around, Angelo ducks down near a parked car, checking himself in the side mirror. Finding himself more than presentable, he makes his way over to her. "Detective Graves, isn't it?" Angelo asks as he sidles up to her table and sits without being asked.
Deciding not to comment on his rudeness, Graves sits back in her chair, regarding him calmly. "What can I do for you Constable?"
"I was just wondering how the investigation was going?"
"Constable Rosetta, you know I can't discuss an ongoing investigation."
"Come on Detective, we're both cops," Angelo says with his most charming smile.
"You're right, we are both cops." Angelo missing the mocking nuances in her voice when she said that, keeps smiling as he waits for the information. Taking her time, as if to weigh up whether she should tell him or not, Graves leans forward when Angelo's impatience starts to show. "Very well Constable, all I can tell you," Graves pauses for effect, "Is that you're a suspect and so is your fiancée."
Angelo bites back on his anger. "I already knew that and you're wrong you know, everyone knows I'm innocent, except your partner."
"Maybe I think you're guilty too."
He smiles at her dismissively, "Do I look like a murderer?"
Thinking that he not only looked like a murderer, but also an arrogant, sexist prick, Graves instead asks him if Charlie was innocent too.
"Of course she is!"
"I was just wondering, because you said that you were innocent, but not her."
"It was implied."
"Really, I must have missed it. Constable, I am not going to discuss the investigation with you or anyone else, is that clear?"
"Fair enough." Angelo tries another tack. "How about we go out for a drink tonight? I thought the two of us could get to know each other a little better," he smiles suggestively at her.
Graves grits her teeth, wanting nothing more than to knock that smugness from his face. "Tell me Constable, do women ever say no to you?"
"No, and it's Angelo," he grins cheekily at her, "And what can I call you?"
"Detective Graves or Graves. And I guess this is a first for you Constable, because I am most definitely saying, no." Getting some satisfaction from the flash of anger on his face at her rejection, Graves puts on her cop voice. "I'm a happily married woman, Constable and I don't appreciate your advances."
"Whoa lady, you got me all wrong," Angelo says, shocked at such a suggestion.
"No, I don't believe so. In future Constable, you'll keep our discussions on a purely professional level; anymore of today's antics and I'll have you up on harassment charges."
"You're fucking kidding! Listen Detective, I was just trying to be friendly."
"I can do without friends like you, Constable, and I'm sure your fiancée would prefer that I didn't drink alone with you; people might get the wrong idea about us."
Angelo leans forward, "This is a small town and your partner's already pissed off just about everyone she's met, so if you want your time here to be easy, I suggest that you need to learn who your friends are."
"I need to do no such thing. I'm here to find a cop killer and I will," Graves assures him confidently.
"Well, you're looking in the wrong place."
"We'll see. Now if you'll excuse me Constable, I'd like to finish my meal in peace." Angelo fumes at the dismissal. "Constable, didn't you hear me?"
"I was hoping you were smarter than your partner."
"Oh I am; my scores put me well above her and I dare say, miles ahead of you, but Constable, underestimate Det. Collins at your own risk."
"You're making a mistake, Detective," Angelo warns her, standing up and leaning on the table. "You and your partner are going to look like fools and I'll be standing right there with everyone else laughing."
"You're doing a pretty good impersonation of looking like a fool right now, Constable."
Angelo stands up straight, cursing when he sees those sitting close to the table staring at him. "Now I suggest that you leave Constable, unless you intend to stand there in a threatening manner; we wouldn't want people to actually start to think that just maybe you're not the nice, charming person you make out to be."
Forcing himself to relax, Angelo smiles down at her, "I'm so sorry for any misunderstanding here today, Detective," he says before stepping over to the nearest table, greeting the people there warmly, using his charm to undo any damage that bitch might have just done to his reputation.
"Charlie, you look like shit," Watson comments as she sits opposite her friend.
"I know that."
"More problems with my sister or Angelo?"
"Both, though it's more Angelo at the moment." Charlie sighs, "We had a big fight last night and he called me frigid and accused me of having a no sex rule."
Watson bites off her reply as Charlie continues. "Maybe he has a point, we haven't had much sex lately."
"Just because you're engaged Charlie, it doesn't mean you have to have sex all the time."
"We used to have sex nearly every night, it's just that lately, I haven't felt like it and now he's getting frustrated and angry when I don't want to have sex with him."
"Charlie, if you're not into it, then don't have sex." Noticing her friend's look, Watson rolls her eyes, "What did you do."
"I felt guilty after our fight last night, so after I'd had a bit to drink, I pretty much jumped him." At her friend's disgusted look, Charlie shrugs, "I know, I'm being weak, but I don't want to risk pushing him away Georgina."
"What about what you want Charlie?"
"I wanted to make him happy and I did. He enjoyed himself but for me, it was like I was just going through the motions and in the end, I had to fake it to get him to stop, not that he seemed to notice," muttering the last few words softly.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Since your sister arrived and called me a murderer. I can't relax and enjoy sex with her constantly waiting for me to do something wrong and after what happened yesterday, the entire time I was having sex last night, I kept expecting her to barge in on us and sit there and critique us before carting us away to jail."
Watson smothers her laugh, thinking it was probably something that Joey would do. "Charlie, don't force yourself into having sex if it's not what you want."
"It's not exactly fair on Angelo."
"Angelo can go and wank off on his own," Watson says, careful not to add that Angelo always found someone to have sex with. "Charlie, if it's not feeling right for you, then don't have sex just for the sake of Angelo getting his rocks off. If you keep having sex just to keep him happy, then you're going to reach a stage where you will resent him every time you feel you have to lie there and endure it."
Charlie sighs in frustration, "I'm just hoping that once your sister is long gone, Angelo and I can relax, get our relationship back to where it was and start planning our wedding. And I can get back to enjoying sex," hearing the lack of conviction in her own voice.
Watson looks at her friend for a moment, "Charlie, could your lack of a sex drive at the moment have anything to do with your reluctance to have a baby?"
"Maybe. Ever since Ruby, I've been ultra careful about birth control, but as Angelo doesn't see the point of wearing a condom when I'm on the pill, I don't know, maybe at the back of my mind, I've suddenly become scared of getting pregnant if we have sex all the time and I don't have that extra protection of the condom. I just wish Angelo hadn't stopped wearing them because it'd be a little suspicious if I asked him to start wearing one now."
An awful realisation hits Watson, "You still haven't talked to Angelo about your doubts about having another baby, have you?"
"No. He said he was happy to wait so I'm just going to leave it at that for the moment."
"Charlie," Watson says reproachfully, "You keep saying how much he wants a child and even if he did say that he's happy to wait, you know Angelo, as soon as you're married, he'll be bringing up having a baby again."
"I'm being a coward, I know that, but the wedding's still a few months away, so I have a few months to decide on whether I want more children or not; until I'm sure, I don't really want to say anything, especially if my reluctance is just because of all the pressure I've been under."
"Charlie, do you realise that you always seem to do whatever he wants."
"That's not true," Charlie says defensively.
"Isn't it? Charlie, you let him move in after only a couple of months of dating because it's what he wanted."
"I wanted it too."
"Really? You told me once that you had other boyfriends who you had dated for a lot longer than you had been with Angelo when he moved in, but you never wanted to live with them because it was too big a commitment to make without knowing them for longer."
"I never loved them like I did Angelo."
"Did?"
"I meant do. Georgina, I love Angelo and I'm going to marry him."
"Is that what you really want or is it what Angelo wants?" Watson asks. When Charlie sits in silence, Watson stands up, offering her a last piece of advice as she leaves. "Charlie, if you keep giving into Angelo, then whether you want to or not, you'll be having more kids, because that's what he wants. I know you want to blame the pressure of the investigation for all of your doubts and problems with Angelo, but maybe you should be looking for another cause, because you haven't seemed all that happy since you got engaged two months ago."
Joey chuckles as Graves fills her in on her encounter with Angelo.
"It was great, he made a complete arse of himself; I think he actually forgot there were other people there."
"I wish I'd seen it."
"He really is a creep. He had absolutely no shame in asking me out, even though I'm married and he's engaged."
"Let's face it, as long as a woman is attractive and has a pulse, he wants to fuck her."
"Well, gee thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better," Graves mutters. "You really think I'm attractive?"
"Graves, how can you even ask that question after you threatened Rosey with harassment charges, but for the record, then yes, I think you're attractive."
"I'm surprised he hasn't made the moves on you, I mean you're far from ugly," grinning at the glare she received.
"Gee, thanks for the compliment. I doubt Rosey would ever come on to me for fear I would castrate him."
They both chuckle at the thought of Rosetta coming onto Joey for a moment.
"Well anyway Joey, people were talking."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, that little display you put on in the diner the other day has made people talk. I've heard a few whispers and seen a few looks from people when Rosetta's around."
"Like what?"
"After today, there were one or two who gave him a filthy look for trying to pick me up and I've heard the odd whisper that maybe he's not such a nice person after all, especially if he's being investigated for a second time for killing cop."
"I've heard one or two similar ones," Joey muses, before adding, "I must remember to make another trip to the diner sometime soon."
"You really do love to stir up trouble, don't you?"
"There is a kind of satisfaction I get when people like Rosetta, who think they're loved by everyone, suddenly find themselves on the outer and having to defend themselves, when before, all they had to do was smile and deny it for people to believe them. Pretty soon, Rosetta may feel even more eyes on him as people start to doubt him more. This morning couldn't have worked out better, because unlike me, people like you, even those here, so for him to do what he did, he's just placed that little seed of doubt in people and he did it all on his own."
"Now I'm really glad we're friends, because Joey, you scare me sometimes. Do you think it will get back to Buckton?"
"Even if it does, he'll just tell her what he told you; he was being friendly and it all ended up in a misunderstanding."
"And if I was her, I'd probably believe him. If I didn't know what I did about him, it would be so easy to fall for his charms, because Joey, he does have a way about him."
"I know and that's what makes him so dangerous."
"So basically, the only way for Buckton to believe he's unfaithful would be for her to catch him in the act."
"Now there's an idea, are you up for it."
Shocked for a moment at the suggestion, Graves tosses her pen at Joey when she sees her mischievous grin, "You bitch, there's no way I'd ever let him anywhere near me; god only knows where he's been or with who."
"For the moment, let's just see where the rumours head and keep an eye on Rosetta; see how he handles it."
"You know he'll blame you."
"Right now, he's probably blaming me for everything that's wrong in his life."
"Watch yourself Joey, I get the impression if he came after you, he'd enjoy whatever he did to you a little too much."
"If he did come after me, I expect you to come looking."
"Gee, no pressure there."
"So, are you off to see Dex tonight?"
"Yep, and if my boss is extra nice and lets me go early, I'll get a few extra hours of alone time with hubby."
"Extra nice? I don't think I've ever had those words used to describe me before, but go on, get out of here."
"Thanks Joey."
"Graves, I don't want to see you here until after lunch tomorrow, you got that?"
"You got it, and you know what Joey, you're not the bitch you pretend to be, because that woman wouldn't let me ditch work early just so I could go and have hot sex with my husband."
"Graves, I'm going to be stuck here eating tea with my sister, so if you keep making me jealous by bragging about your sex life, I'll make sure that you won't have so much as a second to even think about having hot sex with your husband."
"Yep, there's the bitch I know and love."
"Get out of here Graves and have fun."
"Bye Joey and don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone," closing the door before Joey can reply.
"Poor old Dex doesn't know what's about to hit him," Joey chuckles as she finishes her lunch.
"Charlie." The tone of Watson's voice makes Charlie look up in alarm. "There's been a rape and it's bad."
"Georgina, how bad."
"She's dead Charlie."
"How?"
"The officer on the scene said it looked like the bastard had cut off both of her breasts and left her tied to the bed where she probably bled to death."
"Who?" Charlie dreads asking.
"Kirsty Phillips."
Returning to the station from the scene, with the sound of a young officer throwing up outside, the sight of the blood all over the bed still playing on her mind, Charlie heads straight to Det. Collins' office.