Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four

"So, you don't think I've messed anything up?" Leah asked as she, Charlie and Joey sat down to dinner together.

She was still feeling flummoxed over being called in for an interview with Robertson and she felt bad that she couldn't offer an alibi, although she had made it very clear that she had said goodnight to Charlie and seen her once she was already in her pyjamas. Apparently, this hadn't really helped the investigation but Charlie and Joey were keen to assure her that she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Sorry you've been dragged into this," Joey said.

"It's not your fault," Leah said. "You two are just as innocent as I am."


One week later, Xavier was on his way to school when he saw Ruby out of uniform, hanging around at the beach, looking and feeling lost. He approached.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

He nodded to her lack of school clothes. She shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. The truth was that today was Grant Bledcoe's funeral and she was having a hard time debating whether she ought to go or not. On the one hand, he was her father. He was fifty per cent of the reason she existed, if not more considering the circumstances. And he'd died in such an awful way. The police hadn't released all the details but from what she, Charlie and Joey had gathered, he had been stabbed once in the chest and left to bleed to death on the sand. The knife had washed up on the beach a couple of days before but Charlie said with it having been in the water so long, the chances of getting prints were extremely unlikely. On the other hand, he was a rapist, a monster and a liar and Ruby hated him. She had no idea what she thought she would achieve by going to the funeral but something unexplainable was calling her to attend.

"Rubes?" Xavier said.

She apologised but the atmosphere remained tense. Xavier shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to figure out what to say.


Charlie felt listless. She hated being suspended from work. Being a cop had been her life for such a long time and it just felt wrong to not being employed. Joey was still going to work each day and it was torture not seeing her and not having all that much to do. She now understood why the house had been so exceptionally clean while Joey had been between jobs. Charlie had scrubbed every inch of the place until she could see her face in almost every surface. Glancing at her watch and sighing in frustration that it wasn't even lunch time yet, Charlie headed to her room to get changed in order to take out some of her frustrations in the gym.


Xavier was sitting in class feeling sorry for himself. He'd tried to engage his girlfriend in conversation but she hadn't really been present. He'd wittered on about his concern over Brendan's plan to move into a shared house with his girlfriend and friends. But Ruby had snapped that she had more on her mind that his brother's living conditions and then stormed off. Now, Xavier felt like for all the progress they had been making, they were back to square one. He felt like he didn't know her anymore and that she didn't love him.


Geoff had some errands to run in Yabbie Creek so at lunch time, he jumped into the car to do them, leaving Aden and Joey to have lunch with Charlie, who had been eagerly waiting for them to dock, the same as she had every day since she'd been suspended from work. Glancing out of the window, Geoff was confused when he saw the sorry figure of Ruby sitting at the bus stop. He pulled over and wound down the window.

"And where are you off to, young lady?" he teased. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

Ruby nodded, sighed and approached his car.

"I should," she agreed.

"So, what are you hanging out at the bus stop for?" Geoff asked.

"It's Grant's funeral today," Ruby explained. "I was going to..."

She shrugged. She still didn't know what she was going to do.

"Do you want a lift?" Geoff asked.

"You've got to get back to work," Ruby pointed out.

"I'm sure I can make my excuses."


Charlie kissed Joey goodbye and watched her and Aden head out of the Diner and back to work. Leah approached the table and sat down.

"Could you be cuter?" Leah teased.

Charlie blushed and feigned innocence. But she knew what her friend was talking about. Charlie was absolutely smitten and it was plain for all to see. Even if she had wanted to hide it, she couldn't. Joey was the love of her life. She brought out the best in her and made her feel happy and safe. Charlie was still completely incapable of looking at Joey without smiling like an idiot.

"I'm glad that even with everything going on, you and Joey are still solid," Leah said.

Charlie smiled and swallowed down the remains of her drink.

"She's the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said.

Leah smiled and patted her friend's hand.

"I'm happy for you," she said.

She moved to get back to work but Charlie stopped her.

"Has... um... has Robertson asked you out again?" she asked.

"Every morning," Leah complained, rolling her eyes.

"If you like him, Leah, you can say yes."

Leah sat back down heavily in her chair.

"I could never do that to you," she said.

"As much as it feels like it, Robertson isn't the bad guy," Charlie said. "I mean, I have no earthly idea what you see in him but if you like him, I think you should just go for it. At the end of the day, he's just doing his job. I'm pissed at him for going after Joey but really, I know I'm the most logical suspect. It makes sense that he'd suspend me and suspect me... you know, until he figures out who did it."

Leah searched Charlie's eyes for a moment.

"You really wouldn't mind if I said yes to him?" she checked.

"I really wouldn't mind," Charlie confirmed.

"What about Joey?"

"We talked about it last night and she doesn't mind either."

Leah thanked her, smiled and hurried back to work.


"Are you ready to go?" Geoff asked quietly.

He and Ruby had watched the funeral of Grant Bledcoe from afar. That way, Ruby felt like she hadn't really attended but she'd found herself glad to see him being put in the ground. She hoped that this might be part of them forgetting about him. If only that Detective guy would realise that none of them committed the murder and stopped hassling Charlie and Joey, they could move on with their lives. They could start to heal.

"Rubes?"

Ruby nodded and smiled gratefully at him for helping her get here. He took her hand and quietly led her back to the car in order to go home.


Joey and Aden stepped off the trawler after a long day at work, made longer by Geoff texting to say that he wasn't well and had had to skip off for the afternoon. Aden had been annoyed. Joey had just worked harder.

"Hey, Xavier," she called when she saw the school boy walking him.

He looked up and did not look happy. Joey approached him.

"Where's Rubes?" she asked.

"I'd love to know the answer to that too," he replied bitterly before continuing his walk.

Joey and Aden exchanged uncertain glances before going their separate ways. Aden was heading home and Joey had arranged to go for a drink with Charlie who seemed eager to spend as much time out of the house as she could.


"How are you feeling after the funeral?" Geoff asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

Ruby shrugged. She had no idea how to put her feelings into words.

"I'm glad he's dead," she finally blurted out.

Geoff was surprised by the bitterness in her voice.

"I know you probably thought I went today because I felt sad or confused or whatever but... when I heard that he'd been killed, I was happy. I feel sad for his wife and his kids but then also, I feel they're better of without him. Everyone's better of without him. He destroyed Charlie's life. And he's been continuing to try and break her ever since he came back into our lives."

Geoff nodded and turned into her road, pulling up outside the house. He killed the engine. Ruby made no move to leave.

"All of this is my fault, Geoff," she said.

"Ruby, it's not..."

"It is," Ruby replied firmly. "If I'd have handled the truth better, if I hadn't gone looking for him... We wouldn't be in this mess. None of us."

Geoff sighed and took her hand.

"How were you meant to handle this, Ruby?" he asked. "Tell me how anyone would deal with being told that the person they love most in the world has been lying to them for their whole life? That she's their mother and not their sister and that they were borne of this evil act of sexual violence? Maybe you haven't made all the right decisions but there isn't exactly a rule book for this kind of thing, is there? You did your best."

Ruby smiled her gratitude and hugged him.

"I wish my best had been good enough," she said unhappily. "That's all."

From across the road, Xavier watched his girlfriend in the arms of another boy. Angrily, he stormed away.


"You don't think Ruby went to school?" Charlie asked worriedly.

Joey had come to the Surf Club where Charlie had been eagerly waiting for her, and explained her brief conversation with Xavier.

"I don't know," Joey said honestly.

"I should call her..." said Charlie.

Joey put her hand on her girlfriend's and told her to leave it until they got home.

"We're trying not to crowd her, remember?" she said.

Sighing, Charlie nodded and picked up her drink instead.

"So," she said brightly. "Tell me all about your day."


Xavier arrived home in a foul mood. Hugo was just getting out of his car when his brother stormed up the drive.

"Woah, where's the fire?" Hugo laughed.

"I hate my life," Xavier snapped bitterly.

They headed up to the front door together, pausing on when they spotted a threatening note attached to it.