Chapter Two Hundred and Ninety Two
Having taken VJ to school the next morning, Charlie and Joey had stopped by the Diner to find out how Leah and Elijah's evening had gone. They barely needed to ask when they saw the smile on their friend's face. It looked like it was permanently painted on.
"Last night went well then?" Joey teased.
Still swooning, Leah came to sit between her and Charlie.
"It was amazing!" she said. "He was amazing."
"You did the deed then?" Charlie smirked.
Leah blushed and then nodded.
"And it was worth the wait?" Joey giggled.
Leah nodded vigorously.
After breakfast, Charlie dropped Joey off at the bait shop on her way to the station.
"Wish me luck," she begged.
She had called Aden and Justin in for more interviews and she was not looking forward to it at all.
"Good luck," Joey said sincerely. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
The latter part of her statement didn't sound all that convincing. She was desperately worried about Aden and what he and Justin might have done. Charlie believed that either through accident or malice from Justin, Larry had died. She also believed that at some point, Justin had remembered at least part of what happened and he and Aden had buried the body. Then, perhaps through fear after Justin's confession, they had unearthed the body and taken it away. Now, she just had to find a way to prove it.
"Thanks," Charlie said. "And I hope you know I'll always do my best for Aden. If he's broken the law then I genuinely believe that there are mitigating circumstances."
Joey nodded and kissed her, wishing her luck again before heading down to the bait shop.
Aden and Justin waited anxiously in the reception area of the police station. Both felt sick about what was going to happen next and neither of them were entirely sure how they had ended up in this mess. Aden just hoped that he didn't have to put up with Angelo interviewing him again. He was certain to swing for him if a man with such loose morals were to interrogate him about any innocent wrong doing.
Joey was surprised to see Alf had already opened up the bait shop. She glanced at her watch.
"You're not late," her boss assured her. "I'm just early."
He smiled. She smiled back.
"Everything okay?" she asked.
"Not really," he admitted.
Joey instantly worried about Nicole. With everything that was going on with Aden, the school girl didn't seem to know if she was coming or going.
"It's Miles," Alf revealed. "I caught him talking to himself again."
"Oh," Joey sighed. "I thought things were getting better with the medication and his sessions with Michael."
"So did I but... I don't even know if he's still taking the pills. And I don't know how to help him."
Aden was grateful to be sitting in front of Charlie and Watson if he had to sit with any cop. He clasped his hands anxiously together and took a breath.
"I found Dad's body in the woods," he said. "I panicked and tried to hide the body."
"Why would you do that?" Charlie asked.
"Because I knew that Justin would look guilty," he explained. "And he didn't do anything wrong."
"If you were trying so hard to protect your brother, why did he confess?"
"Because he was trying to protect me!" Aden said desperately. "He knew what I'd done and..."
Charlie shook her head doubtfully. She leant forward and looked him in the eye.
"Aden, none of this makes sense," she said. "You need to start telling us the whole truth or things are going to get very difficult for you."
"Is that a threat?" Aden snapped.
"No," Charlie replied. "I'm trying to help you. Now would you please tell me what happened?"
Aden sighed and studied the top of the desk.
"I've told you everything," he lied.
"Where's Larry body now?" Charlie asked.
"In the back of my car."
"The car that got stolen?"
"I dumped it just out of town," he admitted. "I can give you directions."
Charlie nodded, relieved that they might now be getting somewhere.
"Please do," she said.
Gina hovered in the doorway of Miles's classroom. He was having an argument with somebody and it was getting rather heated. More worrying than that, there was nobody in the room. Miles appeared to be arguing either with himself or with thin air.
"How many times are you planning on repeating your senior year?" Joey teased when Nicole approached.
"Am I here too much?" the blonde asked worriedly.
She liked Joey. She didn't want to irritate her.
"You're fine," Joey assured her. "I like the company. Plus you're very useful with the cleaning."
She grinned, making Nicole laugh.
"Have you heard anything about Aden?" Nicole laughed.
"He and Justin are in for more interviews this morning," Joey told her. "I don't know anything more."
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Nicole asked fearfully.
"I think Charlie will do everything she can to get the right outcome to whatever situation they're in," Joey replied.
It had been a particularly long day and Charlie was utterly exhausted. She'd interviewed Aden and then Justin. Then she, Watson and Angelo had trekked out to where Aden claimed he'd dumped the car containing his father's dead body. Sure enough, it had been there and Charlie and her team had spent the rest of the afternoon assessing the crime scene. Aden and Justin had stopped talking and Charlie wasn't sure if it was because they genuinely didn't understand how Larry had died. Whatever the case, it was not looking good. Charlie had the distinct, uncomfortable feeling that she may have to charge one of her best friends with murder. And the likelihood of the court being on Aden's side was minimal. It had barely been two years since he'd been tried for attempting to kill the very same man.
"What are we meant to do next?" Watson asked anxiously.
Charlie chewed her lip and sighed. She and her colleague were sitting in the patrol car, preparing to go back to the station.
"I have no idea," she admitted.
"It doesn't look good for them, does it?"
"Nope," Charlie replied. "It doesn't look good at all."
"Will we have to hold them overnight?" Watson wondered.
"Well, technically, we haven't got enough evidence to make it stick yet," Charlie said. "So maybe we could give them one more night of freedom. You never know, the forensics might clear them. I doubt it but they might."
Watson nodded and started the car.
That evening, Leah dropped Elijah back at the caravan park where he and the rest of the clergy retreat were staying. Technically, the retreat didn't start until the following day but most of Elijah's colleagues, including the Bishop, had arrived early in order to settle in.
"I'm really going to miss you over the next few days," Leah admitted.
Elijah smiled and reached for her hand.
"I'm going to miss you too," he said. "But I'll try and pop by the Diner whenever I can."
He smiled. She leant in and kissed him. Full of memories from the night before, they immediately got carried away. When they heard a firm rapping on the window, they leapt apart and came face to face with Bishop Pitt Bull.
"He dumped his father's body?" Joey asked incredulously.
Ruby was busy rehearsing for her singing and acting debut in her bedroom, leaving her parents some privacy in the lounge.
"That's what he said," Charlie sighed.
"But he didn't kill him?"
"I think Justin did. I'm still hoping it's some terrible accident and they've just handled it wrong but... It's not looking good."
Joey deflated in her partner's arms. Her heart was telling her to call her best friend but her head had no idea what to say. The whole thing was sickening and quickly spiralling out of control.
Next time... Aden and Justin finally face up to what they have done, Gina suspends Miles and Leah manages to win over the Bishop...
