Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Four
Ruby was up and out early the next morning, skipping breakfast at home in order to meet Xavier at the Diner. The plan was to get a takeaway and then go and sit on the beach together to discuss her idea. He hadn't been happy to hear from her the night before and it had taken a long time to calm him down and explain that there was nothing going on between her and Geoff. She was grateful to have willingly admitted to seeing Geoff on the beach the night before and to have spent time with him. It would have been terrible to get caught out in a lie. If she had, who knows if he would ever have agreed to do what she was asking of him?
Charlie had learnt to appreciate Saturdays now that she wasn't working shifts. It was one of two days where Joey got to wake up with her and for them to spend some real time together without Joey having to head off hideously early for work. This morning, Charlie had woken first. Lying on her side, she gazed at her partner's serene face as she slept. Last night's misunderstanding had been hard but Charlie was comforted by how quickly they had recovered from their own personal doubts. She'd ended up breaking down in her arms and they'd eventually cried themselves to sleep. Now, Charlie was determined to have a better day. Slipping out of the bed, she wrapped her robe around her and headed into the kitchen in order to make her girlfriend breakfast.
Angelo was up and out early, running along the beach and trying to get some life and air into his lungs. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about where he and Charlie stood with each other. She'd said she believed him but the truth hadn't quite met her eyes. And he dreaded the hard time Joey was likely to give him. Charlie seemed to go easy on him when he made stupid mistakes but Joey was less easy to win round. He liked to think it was because she felt threatened by him and his presence in Charlie's life. Glancing to his right, he saw Ruby and Xavier colluding over something on the sand. He jogged past them, focussing on working out all his anxieties.
Robertson was looking forward to his date with Leah. Finally, after a lot of messing about, he was getting to take her out to dinner. It was a little intimidating to take a qualified and good chef out for food at a restaurant of his choosing but he hoped it would be successful. While he knew it wasn't going to be a long term thing, he also knew he liked her a lot and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible while he was in town. He looked up from his desk when he saw two people approaching him. Ruby and Xavier looked like they had a lot on their minds.
Charlie arrived back in her bedroom with a tray of eggs with soldiers, coffee and orange juice, along with a glass and a rose from the garden that she'd clipped especially. Joey was still flat out, her hair splayed messily across the pillows. Charlie smiled affectionately at her and set the tray down on the bedside table, accidentally knocking the clock onto the floor. Joey woke up with a start.
"Sorry!" Charlie said gently, feeling guilty.
Joey rubbed her eyes and smiled, looking terribly cute and sleepy.
"I was trying to do something nice," Charlie giggled, gesturing to the tray. "But clumsiness kind of got in the way."
Joey grinned, leaning forward to kiss her.
"It is nice," she said.
Smiling, Charlie handed the tray over, put the clock back together and then climbed into bed. Happily, they shared their breakfast together.
Robertson sat in one interview room with Ruby, eyeing her sceptically as she told him that she could provide an alibi for Charlie. He couldn't get her to make an official statement without a guardian present but he already disbelieved her story. Watson was in the other room, listening to the same garbage from Xavier. Apparently, the teenagers had stolen into Charlie's room that night, when she was asleep in order to 'borrow' cash to buy alcohol in order to go to a party. And it was around the time of the murder. He didn't believe it for a second but he was obliged to accept any evidence that was thrown his way.
Having finished their breakfast, Charlie had put the tray to one side and, ensuring that the curtains were definitely still drawn, was now kissing Joey with tender passion. Joey moaned and closed her eyes, as Charlie's hands began to wander beneath the blankets. They both complained loudly when Charlie's mobile phone sprang to life. Still grumbling, Charlie moved to answer it, reading 'work' on the screen.
"Hello?" she said with some anxiety.
"Hello there, Charlie," Robertson drawled in his annoyingly cheerful way. "I've got Ruby here."
Charlie sat up straighter.
"Why?" she demanded. "What's happened?"
"She's provided you with a surprise alibi," he said. "But I can't interview her properly until you're down here so, as soon as you can, please. Oh, and can you bring your bedside alarm clock with you?"
He hung up. Charlie turned back to Joey in sheer confusion.
Half an hour later, Ruby, Charlie and Morag were in one interview room. Gina and Hugo were in the other with Xavier. Joey remained in the corridor anxiously. Robertson had opted to interview both the teenagers himself but with Watson as his sidekick. She looked more than a little unhappy about the job but she could hardly say no. And hoped at least, that Ruby and Xavier would be able to prove Charlie's innocence and save her.
"So," Robertson said. "Why don't you tell me what happened, right from the start?"
Ruby swallowed uncertainly. This whole plan had seemed such a good idea when she'd first thought of it but now she was afraid of the repercussions. She looked at Charlie and remembered just how much they loved each other. She ploughed on with her story about meeting up with Xavier in order to go to a party. She was sure the whole thing was foolproof. Or, at least, she hoped so.
"How did you end up in Charlie's room, while she asleep and your father was being murdered on the beach?" Robertson asked.
"We needed money," Ruby explained.
Charlie shot her a look of horror as her daughter explained that she and Xavier had crept into her room to steal money from her purse.
"What was the money for?" Robertson asked.
"Alcohol," Ruby revealed.
"Ruby!" Charlie yelped.
Morag cleared her throat, warning her to be quiet. Charlie fell silent and let the interview continue.
In reception, Joey was nursing a cup of coffee which told her exactly why Charlie always headed out to the Diner when she needed a caffeine fix. She sat on the chairs and sighed heavily, wondering what on earth was going on behind the closed door of the interview room. Looking up, she grimaced when she saw Angelo appear. He wasn't in uniform but was heading over to his desk anyway. He paused when he saw her, unsure of whether he ought to say hello or not. He swallowed a few times, unnerved by the way Joey was glaring at him.
"Hey," he managed.
"Hey," she replied.
"What are you...?"
"Robertson's interviewing Ruby," Joey said. "Charlie and Morag are in with her now."
He nodded.
"How... um, how have you be...?"
"I know you spied on us," Joey said quickly. "And I don't buy your dumb story, even if Charlie wants to believe it."
"Did you bring the clock I asked for?" Robertson asked.
Charlie nodded and pulled it out of a carrier bag. Robertson accepted it, examining it.
"Well, it certainly looks like it's been broken recently," he conceded.
Charlie blanched, remembering knocking it on the floor that very morning. She wondered if she ought to speak up but suddenly couldn't find her voice. If Ruby was lying to save her, than she'd be in serious trouble if she got found out. And Charlie couldn't quite bear to let her alibi go. Besides, it could have broken so easily this morning because it had been dropped once before. She chose not to think about the fact that Joey had woken when it had smashed this morning. And apparently, Charlie had slept through the whole incident that Ruby and Xavier were describing. Nodding, Robertson stood up. Taking the clock and gesturing for Watson to follow, he headed out to interrogate Xavier. Ruby had been adamant that her story was true but she was clearly the brains behind the whole operation. He hoped that Xavier would be easier to break.
Angelo had grabbed a few files and headed back out. He'd intended to stick around at the station for a while to work but Joey's watchful gaze had been too much for him. He suspected Charlie had repeated everything he'd told her and he was angry about it. He'd trusted her because she was a cop and, of course, because she was Charlie. But he supposed he should have made it clear that his mission was a secret and nobody could know about it without the whole thing being ruined. Leaving the station, he headed towards his car and turned in the direction of home.
One hour later, everyone was crowded into the reception of the police station. Robertson had had no choice but to accept Ruby and Xavier's statements and he'd taken the clock in as evidence. When asked why they hadn't come forward sooner, they'd shamefully said that they'd been worried about getting into trouble with Charlie for thieving and drinking.
"Well," Robertson said, nodding at Watson.
She hurried away and then reappeared with Charlie's badge and gun. She smiled as she handed them over.
"Welcome back to the force, Senior Constable Buckton," Robertson. "I'll expect you bright and early on Monday morning."
Charlie managed a smile and thanked him. Hugo led Gina and Xavier out. Ruby hung back with her family.
"So, Charlie can't be on your suspect list anymore," Morag said brightly.
"No," he said. "She's not. And that leaves me with only one choice."
He turned to Joey.
"You're officially my number one suspect and I only need a shred more evidence before I can formally charge you with murder."
Oh dear! Poor Joey... what's she going to do! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. You will find out exactly who killed Grant soon, although there will be a good more twists and turns on the way so hold on tight! Love, IJKS xxx
