Chapter Three
Joey sat leaning against Charlie for some time, staring out at the waves that used to be so calming but that now represented so much trauma. Working on the trawler had been her dream job but it had turned out to be the location of her worst nightmare. At least for now, in this woman's arms, she felt moderately safe. Charlie shifted slightly, looking down at Joey.
"Could I please put my cop hat on for a moment?" she asked tentatively.
Joey looked up sharply.
"No!"
"Joey, you can let this guy get away with what he's done to you."
"Watch me."
"Joey, please…"
"Charlie, I told you this in confidence. You can't do anything about it. Promise me."
"I…"
"Promise me!"
Charlie sighed.
"I promise."
She felt sick about it. How could she let a rape victim continue to live in fear? How could she let a rapist continue to walk the streets knowing what he'd done? It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She might not be able to do anything about it exactly but it didn't mean that she was going to let it go. She was going to support Joey even if she didn't want her to. She wanted to be her friend.
"Listen, let me give you my number," Charlie said, taking her mobile out of her handbag. "I want you to call me any time you need anything."
Joey nodded and took her own phone out. They exchanged numbers. Joey was quietly grateful, touched that Charlie cared to so much when they didn't even know each other. She obviously took her job seriously.
"And if you ever change your mind about making a statement," Charlie ventured.
"I won't," Joey told her firmly.
Charlie sighed. Joey's phone beeped.
"I'd better get home," she said, reading the message.
It was from her brother, Brett, wanting to know where she had got to and why the laundry hadn't been finished.
"Where do you live?" Charlie asked, as they both got to their feet.
"Over by the docks."
"My car's parked by the Surf Club. I could drive you if you like," the police woman offered.
"Thanks," Joey accepted.
Charlie pulled up outside Joey's modest house and turned off the engine.
"Will you be okay?" she asked.
Joey nodded.
"Thank you for everything," she said.
"No problem," Charlie said. "Please call if you need anything, Joey."
"I will."
She opened the car door, smiling shyly, hoping to get out before she became completely overwhelmed by her new acquaintance's kindness. Charlie watched her scamper into the house.
Charlie drove to Martha's house instead of her own, keen to apologise for disappearing on her.
"Hey!" Martha greeted, surprised. "Are you okay? What was wrong with that girl?"
"Oh, she just had a really bad day," Charlie said.
She was not prepared to share any of Joey's secrets. Martha nodded and offered Charlie a coffee. Charlie gratefully accepted.
"I told Granddad that she was ill, like you told me to," Martha said.
"Thanks. I just wanted to apologise for disappearing on you," Charlie told her.
"No problem. I figured if you'd run off, it must have been important."
That night, Joey lay in bed fully clothed and restless. She thought about Robbo and recounted for possibly the millionth time everything that had happened that day on the boat. She screwed her eyes shut and tried to focus her attention on Charlie. She was so beautiful and so kind. It still felt so overwhelming that she had gone out of her way to help her, even going so far as to leave her friend in order to support her. Joey smiled to herself feeling reassured that there actually were good people in the world.
