Chapter Ninety-Eight

Charlie was hard at work by the time Angelo arrived. He'd pulled a very late night and Charlie was obviously pulling an early morning. Opting to make her a coffee as well as one for himself, Angelo knocked and entered with the beverage.

"Thanks," she said gratefully.

She didn't know if things would ever calm down between them. So much had happened and Charlie knew that Joey didn't like him. If it was ever a choice between her or Angelo, Joey would always win.

"You're early," he commented. "You're not due on shift until ten. Working on something special?"

"Are you?" she asked in reply.

He looked awkward and moved around to her side of the desk. She slammed her laptop shut but he immediately noticed the name 'Grant Bledcoe' on a stack of papers to her side. He furrowed his brow, wondering why that name was familiar.

"Forget it," Charlie ordered quickly.

He still looked puzzled. Charlie suddenly became frightened. He studied her face and suddenly made the connection.

"He's the guy that..."

"Forget it," Charlie snapped.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Angelo asked worriedly.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm on a legal mission set for me by my superiors," he told her calmly. "I'm not taking up some kind of secret vendetta."

Charlie swallowed.

"I'm just looking into his background," Charlie said. "I think he's going to try and become part of Ruby's life and I need to know what I'm dealing with. I know what kind of monster he was as a teenager and it looks like he's only worse now."

"But..."

"I told you," Charlie said firmly. "Forget it. Let me get on with my mission and I'll let you get on with yours."

Unhappily, Angelo left her to it. Charlie opened her laptop again and resumed her work.


"Hey, Jo, I left my bag down below deck," Aden said. "Can you grab it for me?"

"Don't be lazy!" Joey hollered back.

"I'm not lazy!" Aden argued. "I'm busy!"

"So am I!"

Grumpily, Geoff went down the steps and picked Aden's bag up for him. He handed it over and scowled back when Aden glared at him. Aden hadn't really wanted his bag. He'd wanted to know if Joey had a problem returning to the scene of the crime against her and it appeared that she did, although she was being very clever about it. He was worried but he didn't know how to bring it up.


Grant arrived back in Summer Bay, hoping to get to talk to Ruby again. He didn't want her to the think badly of him and it angered him that he had had a daughter all this time that he hadn't even known about. In his mind, they had a future where she would spend Christmases and birthdays with him and his family. She would get to know her half-siblings and be part of his life. The only problem in that of course, was Charlie and he wasn't entirely sure how to get rid of her yet.


Charlie headed out at lunch time and took a seat in the Diner. She leafed through the menu while she waited for Joey who appeared looking cheerful as ever.

"Hey, beautiful," she chirped, leaning into kiss Charlie lightly on the mouth.

Charlie couldn't help but smile at her. Even with the weight of the world on her shoulders and the amount of stress in her head, Joey never failed to make her happy.

"How's your morning been?" Joey asked, sitting opposite her.

"Busy," Charlie said. "And Angelo caught me in my little investigation."

"Is that bad?" Joey asked.

"Sort of. I mean, I shouldn't really be investigating something without permission, without it being out in the open."

"But a crime was committed," Joey pointed out. "It's your job to investigate crimes."

"But there's a conflict of interest," Charlie said. "I can't investigate a crime where I was the victim. You know, like I had to hand your case over to Watson because I was too close to it."

Joey nodded thoughtfully. She looked around quickly as Charlie's whole facial expression changed. Her own changed when she saw Grant Bledcoe walk into the restaurant. He caught sight of them and charged over.

"You need to stay away from me and my family," he told Charlie who immediately rose from her chair.

"I believe you're the one who charged into my town and hassled me," she argued.

"Only because you poisoned my daughter's mind against me."

"Don't you dare call her that," Charlie warned.

Joey stepped up beside her girlfriend anxiously.

"She is my daughter," Grant declared. "Because you and I had consensual sex as kids."

"There was nothing consensual about it!" Charlie yelled.

People began to turn and look at them.

"I am not going to let your lies ruin my life," Grant told her.

"Get the fuck out of here!" Charlie said.

"I think you need to go," Joey told him.

"That's right," Grant mocked. "Get your little girlfriend to stick up for you."

"Don't even look at her," Charlie warned.

She moved forward but Joey held onto her hand, not wanting anyone to get out of control.

"I'll look at her as much as I like," Grant said darkly, keeping his voice quiet enough that only Charlie and Joey could hear.

"I'll do whatever I like to her," he said. "Just like I did to you. And if you think I'm staying out of Ruby's life, you've got another thing coming."

Charlie launched forward before Joey could stop her. She screamed at him to leave them alone. A threat to kill him was out of her mouth before she'd thought it through. He just smiled, mocking and triumphant. Joey caught Charlie's wrist before she could hit him and she kept her out of the way while Alf hurried to stand between Charlie and Grant.

"I think you need to go," he warned Grant, who smiled cheerfully.

"I think I've got what I came for," he told him before turning to leave.

Charlie sank back down in her chair with her head in her hands, knowing she had made a big mistake.