This chapter is for ttandme69 who just read this whole story in two days. At a hundred and thirty chapters, I am both honoured and impressed! I hope you all enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty One
Charlie and Joey sat somewhat awkwardly at the kitchen table, eating their long awaited lunch. It was tasty but both women had too much on their minds to really enjoy it.
"What should we do?" Charlie finally asked.
"Kick his perverted butt out of town?" Joey suggested.
They allowed themselves small smiles.
"Maybe there's a reasonable explanation," Charlie said. "I mean, it's not like him. That's not the guy I know."
"Charlie, I think the guy you knew died with Jack," Joey said softly. "You keep believing in him and wanting him to be the person you were close to before but I don't think he is."
Charlie sighed and nodded. Angelo had definitely changed. How could he not have? She dreaded to think what he would have been through in prison, or what he might have had to do to get out again. Nobody was really quite clear on how he had wangled his way back on the police force.
"I'm going to talk to him," she finally decided.
"Okay," Joey said quietly.
"Unless you don't want me to?"
She didn't want to do anything that Joey wasn't happy with. Life wasn't about her sole wants and needs now. They were a partnership and they needed to consider each other.
"No, I think it's a good idea," Joey said. "We're never going to know what happened unless we ask. You should."
Charlie nodded and squeezed Joey's hand, deciding to text and arrange to meet up to sort this whole thing out once and for all.
Angelo was home alone when his phone beeped at him to tell him he had a message. Opening it up, he wasn't sure whether to be pleased or distressed that Charlie wanted to meet him. Sighing, he invited her round. Her reply was hesitant and he pictured her double checking that it was okay with Joey. But she agreed and he stood up to try and spruce himself up for her arrival. She wasn't interested in him anymore but aftershave and a clean shirt never hurt anybody. Heading into his bedroom to get changed, he continued to fret over what to say to Charlie. It was unlikely that Robertson had kept his information to himself and Angelo had no idea how to get out of it. Charlie was going to hate him. But worse than that, drawing attention to himself in this way wasn't going to be good for his mission. He knew he was already skating on thin ice as it was. If he made another mistake, he could easily be hauled back to jail and his bid for freedom and redemption would be over.
Aden was storming home in a terrible mood when his phone rang. He considered ignoring it but, noting that it was Joey, decided to answer.
"Hello?" he said gruffly.
"Well, you're perky today," Joey said, not missing a beat. "I thought I was the one under suspicion for murder."
He managed to laugh, still stunned by how easily Joey seemed to be taking everything.
"Sorry," he said. "Bad day."
"Want to come over and talk about it?" she asked. "I could do with a chat."
Aden stopped and turned in the opposite direction in order to head over to Joey's. A chat was exactly what he needed right now and Joey was the perfect person to spend time with.
Charlie was surprisingly nervous as she waited for Angelo to buzz her up to his apartment. The last time she'd been here, it had been after Angelo had tried to get Tony to let go of him and drop him off the cliff. He'd been suicidal and Charlie had felt so much compassion for him. The time before that, she'd spent the night comforting him, both of them aware but unable to say out loud that Angelo had killed Jack. And the times before that, had been nights of drunkenness or passion or both. It was strange to think how life had changed. When she'd first arrived in the Bay, she'd been really hopeful for a successful relationship with Roman but a few months down the line, it had gone to hell. Then she'd liked Angelo. Then she'd kissed Miles. And then she'd truly fallen in love for the first time with the last person she'd ever expected to fall for.
"Come on up," Angelo said through the intercom.
"Thanks," Charlie said, pushing the main door and walking through the corridor up to the first floor, ready to find out exactly what kind of game Angelo was playing.
Aden and Joey sat side by side on the sofa.
"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," Joey said when they were settled with cups of coffee.
Aden sighed heavily. To be honest, he didn't know what he was feeling.
"I just saw Nicole and Liam making out on the beach," he admitted. "And now I feel kind of sick."
"He's not that ugly," Joey teased.
Aden laughed and rubbed his temples.
"I don't want her to be with him," he said. "She's too good for him. He's an arsehole."
Joey nodded. She had never really taken the time to get to know Liam but she owned a few of his singles and knew that he and Belle had met in rehab. Liam had made it harder for Belle to get clean and he had temporarily stolen her away from Aden. Then he'd showed up at her funeral and had a one night stand with Nicole. And now it seemed he had his eye on her again. And Aden clearly hated it.
"I can't say I'd recommend that she dated him," Joey said. "But I guess if she likes him..."
"He's no good for her, Joey!" Aden said desperately.
Geoff's words echoed in his mind and he fought to drown them out.
"Nicole's already been through so much," he said. "He's only going to bring her down."
Charlie sat in an armchair and Angelo perched on the edge of the sofa, looking and feeling tense.
"I'm going to get straight to the point," Charlie said, lacking emotion. "Robertson took Joey and I aside today and told us he caught you spying on us."
Angelo chewed the inside of his lip, trying not to give himself away. Charlie stared at him.
"Did you?" she asked.
Angelo swallowed. He dreaded the look of horror on her face, the anger, the possible charges she could press against him and all the work he'd done for his case being in vain. Suddenly, he had an idea.
"It wasn't how it sounds," he said.
Charlie eyed him curiously.
"You spied on us?" she demanded.
"That's not what I meant to do," Angelo told. "It wasn't..."
He trailed off and sighed heavily. She watched his every move.
"So, you don't deny watching Joey and I through the window?" she snapped. "Together. At night. While we thought we were alone. When we were making love."
"It was bad timing," he said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Charlie yelled, clenching her fists together.
"It's difficult to explain," he managed.
"Try me," she instructed. "Or explain it down at the station when I charge you for stalking and harassment."
"Can I make a suggestion?" Joey asked a little awkwardly.
Aden nodded a little wearily and Joey took a deep breath.
"Don't go off at me," Joey said. "But... maybe... do you have feelings for Nicole?"
It was something she'd been thinking about for some time but she was very uncertain about bringing it up. Aden's eyes widened.
"What?" he said, a little too high pitched. "No! Of course not! I love Belle. I'd never cheat on Belle. I love her."
Joey gently reached out and held his hand.
"I know," she said equally as gently. "I know that. And it will always be true. You and Belle were soul mates. But..."
She sighed heavily. He held on tighter.
"It's not been long enough," he said. "How could I have feelings for someone else? Belle's barely cold. How could I?"
Tears stung his eyes, feeling like he was betraying his wife for having feelings for someone else. Joey pulled him into a hug, holding him close against her.
"It's okay," she almost whispered. "You're not doing anything wrong."
Angelo took a deep breath, trying to make sure he had everything in order before he started speaking. He looked at Charlie, trying not to think about how hot she looked when she was angry.
"I should be in jail," he said. "I killed Jack and I lied about it."
"I know," Charlie said coldly. "We were all there."
He nodded and swallowed.
"I got off because of the unique position I was in," he explained. "Being a cop. Knowing Summer Bay. The... the, um... the powers that be... they struck a deal with me."
"A deal?" Charlie asked, not sure she liked how it was going.
"There's something going down in Summer Bay," Angelo told her. "Something big."
"Like what?"
"I can't tell you."
"Convenient."
He sighed heavily and rubbed his face, frustrated by the restraints he continued to have to live within.
"There's a criminal gang working here," he said. "Not just here. Abroad too. They're huge. But Summer Bay is a hot spot. Someone who lives within our community is... doing something bad. Illegal."
"Like spying on an ex-girlfriend while she's in bed with her partner?" Charlie accused.
Angelo shook his head, telling her that it was bigger than any of them.
"In Summer Bay?" she said sceptically. "Seriously? An illegal gang or whatever you want to call them are operating in a sleepy little town like this where they'd stand out like sore thumbs? Are you kidding me?"
"The person I suspect of being involved has family here," Angelo said. "This sleepy little town in the perfect cover for criminal activity. Who would suspect it?"
Charlie sighed, turning his excuses over in her mind.
"Supposing all that's true... what has it got to do with me and Joey?" she asked.
"Nobody's above suspicion," Angelo said.
Charlie looked appalled. He apologised quickly.
"I had to do my job," he said.
"And that involves watching me and Joey together?" Charlie asked.
"I didn't know that's what you were going to be doing!" Angelo insisted. "I mean, do you really think I want to watch you fuck someone else?"
Charlie pulled a face at his crude terminology.
"I want you to be with me, Charlie," Angelo continued. "I don't want to watch you with someone else. Even if it is a girl. I mean, Joey's hot and everything but I still... I still wish I was the person who got to... do that with you."
He blushed a little. Charlie shifted uncomfortably.
"You still haven't explained," she said.
"I have to figure out who's responsible for what," Angelo said. "It's the condition of my release that I bring this ring down and get some justice for the people who have been hurt. Occasionally, that means doing things I don't want to do. Like spying on people."
"You think I'm a dirty cop?" Charlie asked.
"No! Of course I don't. I think you're pretty much the most honest person I know. I'm certain that you'd never do anything like this. And I'm pretty sure I know who actually is responsible. But I had to tick you and Joey off my list. I had to make sure."
"So, you've what? Been following us around?"
"Just those couple of times," he said. "I hated myself for doing it but I didn't have a choice. I've had to check on everybody. I've had to make sure that everyone is where they've said they're going to be. I've had to make sure nobody else in involved."
Charlie looked into his eyes, wanting to believe in him. The story sounded far fetched but it was moderately nicer than the idea of him perving over her and Joey.
"I don't want to do anything about it," Aden said.
He and Joey had made more coffee and were continuing to talk.
"I guess I must be attracted to her and I love her as a friend. I always have. We've always been close," he explained. "But I couldn't... I don't want to betray Belle. I don't want to be with Nicole. I just..."
"Don't want Liam to have her either," Joey concluded.
He nodded, hoping it wasn't because he was being selfish but because he wanted the best for his friend.
"You haven't done anything wrong," Joey said. "It's not like you're cheating on anybody. And it's not like you've just taken a random dislike to Liam. He hurt you, he hurt Belle, he's hurt Nicole before now. It's normal that you'd worry."
Aden nodded.
"But you also have to let Nicole make her own mistakes," Joey told him. "If you don't want to be with her and she does want to be with him, you're just going to have to let them get on with it."
Aden drained his coffee cup and forced a smile.
"You're right," he said. "Hey, you said you wanted to talk about stuff too. I've kind of been hogging the conversation. How's everything? Has anything happened with the murder enquiry yet?"
Joey shook her head.
"We're still waiting for some bright spark to figure out that we're innocent. I swear, if Charlie was allowed to work on the case, she'd have figured it out by now. Not that I'm biased or anything."
She grinned. Aden grinned back.
"How's she coping? Every time I've seen her, she's looked a little lost."
Joey sighed heavily, admitting that she was worried.
"She's not used to not working," she said. "But I'm fully confident that it's just a matter of time. I mean, we didn't kill him. How can we be found guilty if we're innocent?"
Aden shifted and put his arm around her, hoping she was right.
"If you want me to believe you, you're going to have to tell me more," Charlie stated firmly.
"I can't!" Angelo protested.
Charlie remained unimpressed.
"Maybe I can help," she ventured.
He raised his eyebrows.
"When my suspension's lifted," she added. "Which it will be when that idiot realises I'm innocent."
Angelo smiled sadly.
"How are you dealing with all that stuff?" he asked. "I mean, I'm under suspicion but at least I'm not being harassed in the same way."
Charlie just shrugged and said she didn't want to talk about it.
"Who do you think killed him?" Angelo asked, undeterred.
"I said I didn't want to talk about it," Charlie said.
"I just want to be there for you," he almost begged.
"Angelo, I like you," Charlie told him. "I don't know why exactly but I guess I still have the memories of what you used to be like and the fun we had together... as friends... as... whatever we were. And I do want to believe in you. I do. But don't think I've forgotten that you delved into my personal history to find out what Grant did to me. You told Ruby. You've interfered in my relationship with Joey. You tried to manipulate me into bed. And now you've been spying on me. I'm sorry, but it's not looking good. We're never going to be able to just sit and chat and be friends. Not now."
"Then I'm not telling you a thing," Angelo said bitterly, standing up. "All you need to know is that something big is going down in Summer Bay. I'm leading a team that's taking care of it and I'm doing it in a desperate bid to start over and redeem myself for all the mistakes I made. And I include all of the things you just mentioned."
He sank back into his chair.
"I am so sorry for the things I've done. I'm sorry for the mistakes I've made and the way I've hurt you since I came back. I'm sorry for all of those things, on top of everything else. And I do want to make it up to you."
She looked into his eyes and reluctantly decided he was being earnest.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll believe what you say and I'll trust that you weren't doing anything perverse. And I won't even begin to ask you to explain hooking up with a prostitute after your little peeping tom incident."
Angelo blanched.
"Let's just say it's part of your mission, whatever the hell it is. But I can assure you right now that if I'm wrong and I find out you were up to no good, I will get you arrested. I'll screw up whatever deal it is that you've got going and you'll be back in jail."
She stood and headed for the door.
"I suggest you get on with your job and stop getting distracted," she added before she left.
