Apologies if this isn't properly proof read. I had a bad case of insomnia and have now been awake for nearly twenty six hours! Eyes are drooping...! I hope you enjoy the chapter. The murder investigation with obviously involve some dark times in this story but I hope it is also a chance to show just how strong Charlie and Joey are as a couple. I hope you enjoy it. As always, I love to hear from people reading – it really brings a smile to my face. Lots of love, IJKS xxx
Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen
Joey and Ruby looked up when they heard Charlie enter the room. Joey beamed at her.
"Hey!" she greeted. "I wasn't expecting you for hours yet."
"How come you guys are still awake?" Charlie asked, coming to sit in between them.
"We got talking," Ruby said. "What happened? Who died? Was it murder?"
"Give her a chance!" Joey said affectionately.
She put her hand on Charlie's knee and gazed at her, suddenly seeing the grief in her eyes.
"Charlie?" she asked. "Are you alright? It wasn't... it wasn't someone we know, was it?"
She launched into a private panic about who might have wound up dead on the beach.
"It was..." Charlie started. "I don't really know how to say this but um..."
She swallowed as Ruby and Joey both stared intently.
"It was Grant."
Ruby continued to stare. Joey swallowed and shifted uncertainly, her eyes wide.
"He was stabbed," Charlie continued. "And left for dead."
The words came out stiffly as she struggled. She felt Joey's arm wrap around her. It was the first ounce of comfort she had felt since she'd left the house. She squeezed Joey's hand and kept her focus on Ruby.
"Rubes," she said. "Are you okay?"
"Who... who do they think did it?" Ruby asked.
"Me," Charlie remarked unhappily.
Ruby's stare got sharper.
"Did you?" she asked.
"Ruby!" Joey snapped. "Of course she didn't!"
She gazed into Charlie's eyes.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" she asked.
"Of course I wouldn't," Charlie said. "I mean, I won't say I'm not glad he's dead but I... I didn't do it. I didn't kill him."
She looked desperately at Ruby.
"I swear," she said. "I didn't."
"I believe you," Ruby said. "What do you think happened? Who do you think killed him?"
Charlie sighed heavily and leant back against the couch cushions. Joey continued to hold her.
"I have no idea," Charlie admitted. "I can't bear to think anyone would be capable of killing someone... even him. I'd assume that it's someone with a motive, rather than a random killing. He had too many enemies for that."
Joey nodded.
"Do they have a suspect list or...? Who's investigating?"
"They've brought in a Detective from the city," Charlie explained. "This guy called Robert Robertson."
"Robert Robertson?" Joey remarked. "Bet he was bullied at school!"
"Well, if he was, he's making up for it now," Charlie replied. "He's obnoxious to say the least. He dragged Angelo and I both in for questioning."
"Could Angelo have done it?" Ruby wondered.
"I honestly don't know," Charlie said. "I hope not. I mean, that wouldn't make sense, would it? He's trying to redeem himself for Jack's death. Why would he kill someone else?"
"Because he's obsessed with you," Joey told her. "Maybe he thought if he could be the hero of the piece, he could win you back or something. Prove he could help you in a way that I couldn't."
She sighed. Charlie kissed the top of her head.
"I wouldn't want anyone to do something like that," she said. "Especially for me. And especially not you."
Joey leant against her.
"So, I'm a suspect, so is Angelo. Robertson wants to talk to both of you in the morning."
"Us?" Ruby asked worriedly.
"I'm sure it's just routine," Charlie said. "I can't believe either of you two would be suspects. I mean, that's insane."
"We've got as much motive as you," Joey said. "Finding Grant's killer is going to be hell for all of us."
Detective Robertson had worked through the night. He headed back to his hotel at five in the morning for a couple of hours sleep. By eight o'clock, he was up and searching for coffee. Arriving at the Diner, he was struck by the beautiful, dark haired woman serving behind the counter. He smiled his most charming smile and ordered a cappuccino.
"Coming right up," the woman said brightly. "To have here or to take away?"
"As much as I'd love to stay and enjoy your establishment, I have to get to work," Robertson replied.
He watched her make his drink.
"What do you do?" the girl asked. "I haven't seen you round here before."
She put chocolate shavings on top of the foam and handed it over with a smile. He returned the smile.
"My name's Detective Robert Robertson," he said.
"Are you here for the murder case?" the woman asked.
"Round town already, is it?"
"Oh, my housemate's a cop," the woman explained. "And yeah, news travels pretty fast."
"And which cop might your housemate be... um...?"
"Leah," the woman told him, accepting his cash. "My name's Leah. And my housemate is Senior Constable Charlie Buckton."
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Leah," Robertson said, shaking her hand. "And I may well want to talk to you later."
Leah raised her eyebrows.
"Why would you need to talk to me?" she asked. "I don't know anything."
"Maybe I just like you," Robertson said, gliding back out of the Diner and leaving Leah to giggle to herself, a little bemused.
Charlie and Joey remained in bed for as long as possible. They'd barely slept the previous night, what with all the interruptions and Grant's murder playing on their minds.
"I'm going to call Morag before I go to work," Charlie said. "If any of us are going to be pursued over this then we need legal backing."
Joey nodded.
"They can't really come after any of us though, can they?" the younger woman asked. "I mean, none of us did it."
Charlie sighed heavily.
"Let's just hope they find the person who did," she said. "Otherwise, well, I'd be shocked if I wasn't the number one suspect."
"I still think Angelo might have a lot to answer for," Joey mumbled.
Charlie put her arm around her and kissed her forehead.
"I guess we'll find out," she said.
Ruby felt numb as she sat in class. Annie was on one side of her and Xavier was on the other. Word had spread already and she knew people were gossiping. Ruby's rapist Dad was dead. People had already been talking about the whole Charlie Being Her Mum Fiasco. This only made things worse.
"Are you okay?" Xavier whispered, reaching for her hand.
Ruby nodded but didn't offer her own hand in return. He sighed.
"Maybe we could get lunch together today?" he suggested. "Go somewhere private where we can talk properly?"
She was just about to snap at him for being nosy but then caught the look in her boyfriend's eyes. She didn't see anything there but compassion and concern. It touched her. She agreed and held his hand.
Angelo was stressed beyond the telling of it. He had come back to Summer Bay to bring down a people smuggling ring to try to redeem himself. He'd come back hoping that he and Charlie might resume the brief relationship they had started. But nothing had gone to plan. He was under pressure from the people above him, Charlie wasn't interested and now it looked like he was about to be caught up in a murder investigation. The last thing he needed was another one. He was glad that Grant was dead and gone and he wouldn't have had it any other way. However, he did not want to be accused of another murder. He couldn't take it. Looking up from his desk, he saw Charlie enter the station. He smiled. When he saw Joey behind her though, he sighed. They were holding hands and while they looked tense and anxious, they looked like a strong, solid unit. He wished something would happen to break them apart. He wanted to be the person Charlie loved. He wanted to be the person who loved her, lived with her, supported her. In his opinion, Charlie and Joey were all wrong for each other. He hoped that he could find a way to prove it.
Aden and Geoff sat side by side in Irene's living room, with the couch set up as a pretend boat so that Geoff could practice for his boating exam. Joey had put him forward, wanting the whole crew to have the same skills and abilities so that nobody felt better or worse than anyone else. Aden had thought it very sweet until she'd told him that he needed to help him practice.
"Would you pay attention?" he snapped when Geoff made yet another mistake.
Geoff threw down the cushion he was using as a steering wheel and folded his arms.
"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend doing that when you're actually being tested," Aden snapped.
"Well, excuse me if my mind's not on the job today!" Geoff exclaimed. "Don't you even care what's happened?"
Aden glared at him.
"Of course I care," he said. "Joey's my best friend. This affects her. But there's no point getting all stupid about it. The best thing you and I can do to help, is get on with things and get you passing your exam. That's what she wants."
"That's lame!" Geoff argued, leaping to his feet. "We should be supporting Ruby and... and everyone."
Aden sat back and eyed his friend curiously. A small smile crept across his face.
"What?" Geoff asked defensively.
"You're in love with Ruby," Aden announced.
Joey sat opposite Robertson in the interview room. Her hands were clasped together and she felt like she was guilty somehow. He kept staring at her, searching her and making her uncomfortable.
"So," the Detective began. "Did you kill Grant Bledcoe?"
"No," Joey said in a small voice.
A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
"You don't sound so sure," he commented.
"I think I'd remember something like that," Joey said, her voice a little stronger.
Robertson nodded.
"But would you confess?" he asked.
"I hope so," Joey replied.
She relaxed a little more but didn't move. She kept her eyes fixed on the man in front of her.
"So, you're innocent?"
Joey nodded.
"For the tape."
"Yes, I'm innocent. I didn't kill anybody," Joey confirmed.
"So, what were you doing that evening?" Robertson asked, leaning back in his chair.
Joey swallowed.
"I was at the Surf Club, having a drink with a friend," she said.
"Which friend?"
"Aden Jeffries."
Robertson wrote the name down.
"So, he's your alibi, right? You were still there at eleven?"
Joey shook her head.
"I'd already started heading home by then."
"So, you don't have an alibi for the time of the murder?" Robertson asked.
Joey sighed.
"I guess I don't. But I was home by midnight," she said. "If I left the bar at ten to eleven and was home just over an hour later, then how could I have murdered someone in that time?"
Robertson leant forward.
"Does it take that long to get home?" he asked.
Joey blanched.
"It takes about fifteen minutes," she admitted.
"So, why did it take so long to get back?" Robertson queried.
"I took a slow walk," Joey said. "I wandered along the beach front for a bit."
"The beach front where Mr Bledcoe was murdered?"
Swallowing, Joey shrugged.
"I don't exactly know where he was murdered," she replied.
"About ten yards up from the Surf Club," the Detective replied. "Well, that's where he was found anyway."
"I guess I was there for a bit," Joey said.
Suddenly she wished Morag was here already. She was getting into a muddle and making herself look guilty.
"But I went further along," she added quickly. "I went down to the docks for a bit. I wandered the long way home."
"Why?"
"I'd been drinking," Joey admitted. "I was feeling a little tipsy and I wanted to sober up before I got back to Charlie."
Robertson nodded slowly.
"So, you were inebriated, present at the area of the crime and alone," he said. "Interesting."
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Joey said quickly.
"Well, that's really for me to figure out, isn't it?" he said. "But from this side of the desk, you look pretty guilty to me, Ms Collins."
Joey froze.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"Deadly," he replied.
