Happy Christmas, everyone. Sorry this isn't a very cheerful chapter but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you all for your well wishes at this time. Lots of love to you all, IJKS xxx
***
Chapter Seventy-One
Having given up on knocking at Irene's door, Charlie and Joey headed towards the Diner. It meant they could eat, ask after and look out for Ruby and then they had a few derelict places around town that they could investigate. Climbing out of the car, Charlie looked fretful. Joey sighed and walked around to hold her hands.
"Look, why don't you go and order and I'll have a quick look round the beach?" she suggested.
Charlie smiled gratefully. Joey squeezed her hands and watched Charlie head into the Diner. Then she turned to comb the beach for her girlfriend's missing daughter.
***
Annie headed into the Diner to get some sustenance. She wasn't in the mood to go home. Ruby would be gone by now and Geoff was being a complete misery. Even though Irene was out for the day and Annie would most likely be eating alone, she found this a better alternative. She stopped suddenly when she saw Charlie sitting alone at a table, looking through the menu and appearing to be desperately unhappy. Immediately she turned to leave.
"Annie!"
Annie bit her lip and reluctantly turned back to find herself face to face with Charlie.
"You've been ignoring my calls," Charlie said, more desperately than accusatorily. "Have you seen Ruby? Please tell me. It's really important."
"I uh..."
"Annie, please! Please don't let me lose my daughter. Where is she?"
"She's um..."
Annie glanced at her watch. Ruby's bus was due to leave in five minutes.
"She... I don't know."
***
Joey had walked along the edge of the sand, desperately looking for anyone who looked like Ruby or one of her mates. Sighing, she knew in her heart of hearts that the teenager was nowhere so obvious. She turned around and began to trudge back up towards the Diner. The best thing they could do for themselves was to eat and rest before the search began again.
***
Angelo sat in the corner of the Diner. He had immediately noticed when Charlie had walked in. She looked tired, stressed and sad but still she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He longed for the days when life had been simple. Back when he had moved to the Bay the first time around, he'd been cheeky and happy. He'd started his new job at the station and was besotted with Charlie who had refused to do more than flirt with him because she was dating Roman. When he had finally scored a date, all she'd thought about what her boyfriend so Angelo had been a gentleman. But eventually, when things had gone pear shaped for both of them – Roman had dumped Charlie and after a heartbreaking relationship with Belle that got him caught up in a load of mess he hadn't wanted to deal with – Angelo and Charlie had ended up together. At first, although she had told him firmly that it was a mistake, it had kept happening. That was of course, before he had killed Jack. It had been an accident but he had also got himself caught up in a tangled web of lies. When he'd been arrested, Charlie had been devastated, even though she'd pretty much orchestrated the whole thing. But she hadn't wanted it to be him, she'd said. While he'd been away, the only thing that had got him through was thinking about Charlie. And when he'd accepted his secret mission, the one that was meant to save his life and career, she'd been the first thing on his mind. He'd hoped that she still hadn't wanted him to be the killer, that she'd forgive him. And she had. But he hadn't counted on her having fallen in love with another, especially not a girl. Now, she was going through a huge trauma and he'd messed up so badly that he couldn't even be there for her. He wanted to be a comfort, not a hindrance. When she had arrived at the Diner, she'd shot him an angry glare and sat at the furthest table away from him. All he wanted to do was go over and help her get the truth out of Annie. The conversation between the cop and the teenager appeared to be getting more intense by the second. Every cell in his body wanted to take him over to help her but he knew he couldn't. And it wasn't fair.
***
Ruby and Geoff sat in the car as the headed out of Summer Bay together. The radio was low and their bags filled the boot. Ruby studied Geoff concentrating on the road.
"Do you want to talk about how you're feeling?" she asked.
"No," Geoff said. "I just... No. Do you?"
"No."
They both managed to crack a smile.
"Maybe later?" Geoff suggested. "If we're running away together, we're meant to be bonding or something, aren't we?"
"Yeah, that's how it goes, isn't it?" Ruby said. "So, yeah, later. When we're settled, we can talk."
Neither had any intention of returning home soon.
***
"You do know!" Charlie said desperately.
Her voice was becoming high pitched as she frantically sought the truth.
"I know you do," she continued. "Otherwise why else would you have been avoiding me? Annie, this is important. I have no idea where she's gone and if she's safe."
"I think she's safe," Annie said quietly.
She hoped she was right. The idea of Ruby off in the big city all alone was worrying. And she didn't know whether to reveal all to Charlie or not.
"Safe where?" Charlie asked.
"In the... she's left."
"Left?"
"Left town. She caught a bus to the city and she said she doesn't know when she'll be back."
Charlie stopped short. Her words caught in her throat when she tried to speak.
"She's left Summer Bay?" she finally asked.
"Yes."
"When?"
"She left a few minutes ago," Annie said, glancing at her watch.
"But... I love her," Charlie said sadly.
Suddenly her head began to spin. Her mind was too full of panic and fear and grief. She stumbled backwards as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. Sinking to the floor, she buried her face in her hands and wept. Her whole body shuddered as she cried. Annie stared down at her with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Everyone around them was beginning to look. Annie desperately looked around for someone to help as a woman usually so in control of her feelings physically and emotionally fell apart right in front of her. Leah appeared to see what the commotion was. She saw Charlie in a heap on the floor with Annie standing beside her, looking terrified. Leah was just about to run towards her housemate when she saw Angelo get there first. The police officer crouched down.
"Charlie..." he said gently.
"Get away from me!" Charlie warned.
He stepped back quickly and sighed. Even more people had turned to look and a couple who had just entered, stopped short and stared at the broken woman sitting on the floor in a heap. They quickly turned and left.
"I said get away from me," Charlie hissed when Angelo didn't step back any further.
He nodded and returned to his table but never took his eyes off Charlie as she sobbed.
"Charlie, I'm..."
"You just let her go," Charlie said.
She didn't sound angry as much as devastated.
"She's out there all by herself with nobody to protect her."
"I told her not to go," Annie said. "But she was determined, Charlie. There was nothing I could do."
"You could have told me!" Charlie shouted.
She looked down and began to sob harder.
"You could have told me," she repeated tearfully.
Everyone continued to view the scene as if it was some intriguing soap opera. Leah took the moment to hurry forward, crouching in front of her housemate.
"Charlie?" she said. "Charlie, it's Leah."
Charlie looked up slowly.
"She's gone, Leah," she said sadly.
"I know. I heard. I'm sorry," Leah replied kindly. "Listen, I'm going to call Joey, okay? She can take you home."
Charlie wept as her friend pulled out her phone.
***
Joey was almost at the Diner when her phone rang. She answered quickly and listened to Leah tell her to get to the Diner as soon as possible. Joey was inside the building before the phone call had finished. She immediately saw Charlie on the floor and in a state with every patron watching her in stunned silence, waiting for the next move. Joey skidded to her knees in front of Charlie and reached out to her. Leah stood to give them room. Joey gathered her girlfriend into her arms and held her tight. She stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. She felt Charlie's tears fall onto her skin.
"She's gone," Charlie cried. "She's gone. She's gone. She hates me. She's gone."
Joey held her tighter. What could she say to make things better? Were there any words?
"We'll get her back," Joey promised. "We will. We just need some time. We'll work it out."
Charlie clung tighter. Joey looked around at the crowd, clocking Angelo immediately.
"What the hell are you looking at?" she snapped, referring to every onlooker but Leah. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
She returned her attention to Charlie, wondering how on earth she was going to get her safely home and what they would do when they got there. How would they ever find their way out of this mess?
