Well, we have said goodbye to the Grant plot now but there is plenty more to come. I've been writing ahead and I'm currently gearing up for the 2009 series finale. But Charlie and Joey will get up to all kinds of things between now and then. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter (and the rest of them!) Thanks again to everyone who has been so supportive, especially over the last few days. Love, IJKS xxx

Chapter One Hundred and Forty Nine

The following week, things had settled down somewhat. Robertson had returned to the city, with Grant Bledcoe's case officially closed. His family had been informed and his death had been declared suicide. Charlie was back at work with no problems, although she was sad to learn that a colleague of hers, someone of the same rank she was, had decided to move to the city and therefore leave the station. There would be a leaving party at the end of the week. Joey had happily returned to work on the trawler with Aden and Geoff and things seemed to be going mostly back to normal. There was still tension between Ruby and Xavier. Generally, if one of them walked into a place, then the other one walked out but Charlie was hopeful that life for her daughter would settle down eventually. And she and Joey had privately wondered how long it would now take for Ruby and Geoff to get together.


Charlie arrived at work for her afternoon shift and immediately made a beeline for Watson. She had forced her to take some leave, just to catch up on some sleep if nothing else but now her saviour was back at work, she wanted to make as many overtures towards her as she could. Last night, Joey had suggested they might take Watson out for dinner one evening. Today, Charlie suggested it. Watson looked surprised. She considered Charlie her friend but they didn't socialise together very much.

"It'll be mine and Joey's way of saying thank you," she said. "What do you think? I mean, you don't have to. And I know dinner isn't exactly going to thank you for everything you did for us but we thought it was a start at least."

Watson smiled happily. From his desk, Angelo grimaced at Charlie's constant reference to 'we'. He still couldn't get his head around her being so much part of a couple.

"I'd love to," Watson said.

Charlie beamed at her.

"Great!" she said. "How about...?"

Angelo approached quickly.

"I need a word," he said.

"Hold that thought," Charlie said to Watson before following Angelo to his desk.

"Are you up for some work tonight?" Angelo asked.

"Uh..."

Charlie glanced at Watson.

"Well, I was going to..."

"It's important," Angelo told her.

Charlie sighed and agreed, approaching Watson again and suggesting they made plans for the weekend. Watson readily agreed. Pulling out her phone to let Joey know, Charlie headed into her office.


It was the end of the working day and Joey, Aden and Geoff headed off the trawler together. Geoff had been in a particularly good mood as he had dinner plans with Ruby that evening.

"Hey, Aden, do you want to come round for dinner tonight?" Joey asked. "It turns out that I'm home alone for the evening."

"What's Charlie doing?" her friend asked.

"Working," Joey said, trying not to pull a face at the extra time her girlfriend would be spending with Angelo.

Still, from what she knew about the case, she believed the work Charlie was doing was important. And they had both discussed the hope that when it was completed, Angelo might decide to leave town and start again somewhere new.

"Oh, well, I'd hate to see you all alone," he grinned, putting his arm around her.

Joey grinned and they began walking together, oblivious to passing an irate Hugo on their way.


With Irene working at the Diner and Annie going on her first date with Romeo, Geoff was excited to have the place to himself. He was planning on cooking for Ruby and had rented some films for her to choose. While he was trying not to let it show, he was desperately excited. Now that things had settled between Ruby and Charlie, and the case against the family had been closed, and of course now that Ruby and Xavier had broken up, Geoff hoped that he might actually pluck up the courage to tell his friend how he felt about her.


Charlie was just leaving her office to talk to Angelo when Hugo burst angrily into the station.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Charlie asked, approaching him.

"My boat's been stolen!" Hugo said desperately.

"Your dive boat?" Charlie asked.

"The schooner," Hugo said. "The ropes have been cut and it's gone. You need to send out to search party. You have help me find it."

"Okay," Charlie said. "Calm down."

"It's John Palmer that's done this," Hugo claimed. "I know he has. Bastard!"

"Hugo!" Charlie said more urgently. "Calm down."

"But..."

Angelo approached with his arms folded and a stern expression on his face.

"We can't do anything until tomorrow anyway," he said.

"What?" Hugo yelled. "What are you talking about?"

"It's nearly dark," Angelo said. "Nobody is going to go out there looking for a boat now. You'll have to wait until the morning."

"It could be anywhere by morning!" Hugo protested.

He turned helplessly to Charlie who looked awkward.

"Do you think anyone could be on the boat?" she asked. "If there are people on it, there might be some leeway but..."

"Then yes!" Hugo lied. "There could be people on it."

Angelo merely called him a liar. Hugo turned his back on him and looked at Charlie.

"Charlie, please do something," he begged.

"Charlie might be the Senior Constable here but I'm with the marine police," Angelo said. "This is my jurisdiction and I'm telling you that nobody is going out tonight."

"Fine," Hugo snapped, glaring at him. "Then I'll go by myself."

"Don't be stupid," Charlie said. "Just calm down, wait till morning and someone will go looking for the boat tomorrow."

"That's not fair," Hugo protested.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said.

Angelo resisted the urge to say that he wasn't sorry at all, although the words were written all over his face.

"You people are useless," Hugo snapped.

He turned and left.

"He gets more pleasant every time we see him," Charlie commented.

Angelo chuckled and nodded, returning to his desk. Charlie followed him, wondering what the plan for the evening was.


Joey cooked while Aden sat at the kitchen table, sipping wine and feeling happier than he had felt in a long time.

"Are you sure I can't help?" he asked.

"Nah," Joey said cheerfully. "I love cooking. You just relax and leave it all to me."

"Things are as good as they were before all the... mess then?" Aden asked.

Joey turned around and smiled at him.

"They're better than they were," she said. "I didn't think it was possible but I think Charlie and I are actually stronger than we've ever been."

Aden smiled, happy for her. Joey grinned again and turned back to her pots and pans.


Geoff and Ruby sat at the table together, eating dinner.

"Can I have another glass of water?" Ruby asked.

Geoff was surprised. They had barely begun eating and she had already downed two glasses.

"Sure," he agreed, getting up to pour some more from the fridge.

"Thanks," Ruby said when he returned to the table. "I don't know what's wrong with me at the moment."

Geoff just smiled and they continued eating.


It was officially night time and Charlie and Angelo were parked in a car down at the docks, not far from Joey's brother's house. She always felt a little sad when she saw it, knowing what Joey had lost. She still hoped that maybe there was away forward for Joey and Brett - if only he could get over his homophobia. And his dislike of Charlie. After all they had been through recently, Charlie was learning the real value of family.

"What are we hoping to find tonight?" she asked.

"Well, I'm hoping that one of these nights, we'll find Hugo doing something that even he can't get out of."

"Then why are we here and not watching his house?"

"Because if he happens to see us watching the house then this whole thing will explode," Angelo explained. "I can't let on that I know what he's up to, not until I've got more on him."

"Have you considered that he might be innocent?" Charlie asked.

Angelo firmly shook his head. Charlie sighed. She pulled out her phone to text Joey and tell her that she loved and missed her.