Chapter Three Hundred and Nine

Ruby had gone round to see Nicole as soon as she had heard the news about Aden. She was armed with ice cream and a heap of romantic comedy DVD's that always used to do the trick with Charlie, back when she was serially getting her heart broken by men. Who would have thought then that the reason Charlie's relationships had never worked out were because she had been meant to be a woman?

"I miss him already," Joey sighed.

She and Charlie had curled up on the sofa, rather emotionally drained by the day's events.

"I know, sweetheart," Charlie said gently. "But I'm sure you'll see him again. We can go to visit him and he's promised to be there for your big restaurant opening."

Joey managed a happy smile. Before having to say goodbye to her best friend, Joey had thoroughly enjoyed a detailed brainstorming session about her future plans. It had invigorated her with a new enthusiasm from the project.

"I can't believe we're really going to do this," Joey admitted.

"Well, we are," Charlie said certainly. "I guess the first thing we need to do is try and find a venue. I don't think this place is quite big enough!"

Joey giggled and kissed her. It immediately developed but they were quickly interrupted by an urgent knock on the door.


Sitting in the passenger seat of Hugo's car, Xavier couldn't stop staring at his brother. He looked older and had very tired eyes, not to mention a heavy beard that seemed to engulf his entire face. At least it would make him less recognisable to the people and the police trying to hunt him down. Even Xavier had had to do a double take when he'd seen him – and he had known him for nearly seventeen years.

"So, does this mean you're back?" Xavier asked hopefully. "For good?"

Hugo sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I just stopped by the Bay to check on you all, make sure you're okay," he said. "I have to move on sooner rather than later."

"But we're not okay," Xavier said. "We miss you. We need you. Poor Martha's losing her mind. She even spent the night with..."

He trailed off and blanched, horrified at his own big mouth.

"She spent the night with who?" Hugo asked, his voice tight.

"Nobody," Xavier lied.

"Who?" Hugo asked. "Don't worry. I'm not exactly in a position to be angry about it. After everything I did, after how much I hurt everybody..."

Xavier was touched by just how wracked with guilt his brother was.

"Angelo," he admitted.

"Angelo?" Hugo almost shouted, his eyes flashing with rage.

"Everyone's been pretty down on him about it," Xavier revealed. "I think Joey tried to deck him or something."

Hugo snorted.

"At least she's good for something," he said, having never got along with Charlie's girlfriend.

Way back when he hadn't even dared entertain the thought of falling in love with Martha's, his late cousin's widow, Hugo had been very taken with Charlie and he had tried pretty hard to get her into bed. On the one night when it might have been possible, she'd come to her sense before anything had happened and told him where to go.

"Why did you even leave Witness Protection in the first place?" Xavier wanted to know. "I mean, they saved you, didn't they? The cops?"

"Only temporarily," Hugo explained. "A few weeks ago, an old associate of mine came looking for me. I don't think it was to reminisce about old times, if you know what I mean. I panicked and ran and now... well, now I guess I'm still running."


"Angelo!" Charlie gasped when she saw her colleague standing rather breathlessly at the door.

He looked pale and rather unwell and despite all that had transpired between them recently, she could help but feel concerned.

"What are you doing here?" Joey asked cautiously, approaching the door also.

The policeman glared at her.

"I'm here on official police business," he said coldly. "No civilians involved."

Suddenly all of Charlie's concern fled her. Whatever had happened, there was no need to be rude to her girlfriend. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"What's going on?" she asked coldly.

"Can we talk in private?" Angelo asked. "I really need your help."

Charlie glanced between him and Joey and then folded her arms, leaning against the doorframe.

"No," she said. "If you need my help, you can earn it by not trying to make Joey feel uncomfortable in her own home."

Angelo looked set to argue but gave in, rather deflated. Getting Charlie to help him with his latest cock up was more important than getting one up on Joey.


Xavier looked heartbroken as Hugo told him that he would be leaving town the next morning.

"It's safer for all of you," he said. "As soon as everyone realises I'm not in the Bay then they'll move on."

"What, to hunt you in a different location?" Xavier asked desperately.

Hugo sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Xave, it's the price I have to pay for what I've done," he said. "The important thing is that none of the people I love have to pay too."

He caught his brother's gaze and patted him gently on the shoulder.

"It's the right thing to do," he insisted.


"You have twenty four hours to track Hugo down before he becomes a fugitive?" Charlie clarified.

Joey had made all three of them cups of tea while Angelo explained his latest catastrophe.

"That's about the size of it," he said.

"And why am I supposed to care about this?" Charlie asked. "The man tried to kill me, remember?"

"I know," Angelo said. "But can't you just get past that for a second?"

Joey glared hatefully at him and Charlie looked appalled.

"Oh yes, get past it!" Charlie said sarcastically. "That's what I'm meant to do! I mean, what's a little murder attempt between friends?"

"Charlie, I'm in serious hot water here!" Angelo snapped. "And as much as I hate to admit it, you're the best cop I know. I need you to help me bring Hugo into custody or this whole case falls apart. Everything I've worked for, everything we've worked for... Please?"

Charlie glanced at Joey, reading her expression and gathering that it was entirely her decision as to whether she helped or not. She thought about all the poor people Hugo had killed and nearly killed. She thought about the horrors that he had put far too many people through, including herself. Sighing, she relented.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "Where do we start?"


Alone again, Gina had invited John round to visit her at home. Tentatively and all too aware of the sensitive nature of the situation, Gina had told him everything that had happened with Hugo.

"Wow... that's um..." John faltered. "I can hardly believe it."

"You and me both," Gina sighed. "I was just starting to make peace with everything that happened and now we're all back to square one. My boy is out there, a hunted man and it's all his own fault. And none of us have the first clue as to how to find or protect him. And right now, I can't even decide if I want to."


With Joey to assist her, Charlie headed over to the farm to see Martha and see if she knew anything about Hugo's whereabouts.

"I feel like a secret agent," Joey giggled in the passenger seat of Charlie's little blue car.

Charlie chuckled.

"We should get you a uniform," she mused.

Joey snorted as she caught the suddenly very interested look on her girlfriend's face.

"Even in the midst of a heavy police investigation, you still find the time for naughty thoughts," she remarked. "I'm impressed Sergeant Buckton."

Charlie grinned at her, pulling up in the driveway of Martha's house.

"What can I say?" she said. "You bring it out in me."

She leant over for a brief kiss and then climbed out of the car. Joey followed her up to the front door with both of them hoping for a quick resolution.


Ruby felt like her head was going to explode at the news that Xavier had spent the past couple of hours chatting with Hugo, the man who everyone else thought was dead and buried.

"So, he just pulled up in the car beside you?" she said.

Xavier nodded. Having agreed to do some shopping for his brother before he went on to start a new life somewhere else, Xavier had phoned his girlfriend and asked her to join him.

"I can't believe he just turned up," Ruby said, shaking her head as they walked through the high street of Yabbie Creek with their shopping list.

"I can't even believe it myself," Xavier admitted. "I know he did a lot of bad things but it was so good to see him again, Rubes. I don't think even I realised how much I loved him until we came face to face again."


John had enticed Gina out for a walk and perhaps a coffee at the Diner to try and distract her from all the emotions engulfing her. She stopped walking abruptly when she spotted Angelo heading towards his car, parked up at the Surf Club. Before John could stop her, Gina had raced across the green, shouting Angelo's name.

"Look, Gina, I'm really busy right..."

Gina interrupted him by slapping him across the face. Angelo clutched his cheek, wondering why everyone's reaction to him always seemed to be violence. Was he that much of a cretin? And if he was, how had he convinced himself that he wasn't?

"How could you do this to my family?" Gina demanded bitterly.

"I don't know what you mean," Angelo said, although he had a sinking feeling that Martha hadn't kept her Hugo news to herself.

"You faked my son's death and put him into Witness Protection!" Gina yelled. "And now you've gone and fucking lost him! Not to mention that you slept with his grieving girlfriend!"

"Now, wait..." Angelo tried.

"What kind of man are you?" Gina demanded. "And come to think of it, what kind of cop are you? I mean, do you even do any work or do you just enjoy poncing around in the uniform that you don't even deserve to wear?"

"Gina, would you just...?"

Gina shoved him hard in the chest. John pulled her back and dragged her away. Angelo cursed the day he had ever had anything to do with Hugo Austin's family. Sometimes he wondered if being in jail was better than what he had to put up with now.


"I'm sorry," Martha said honestly. "I haven't seen Hugo and I don't know where he is."

Charlie sighed. She had hoped that finding the fugitive would be a little easier. Right now, she didn't even know where to start.

"He hasn't tried to call you or anything?" she asked.

"No," Martha confirmed. "I wish he would. I'm worried about him."

Charlie nodded, sighing heavily.

"Look, if he does get in touch or you hear anything, even if you don't think it's relevant to our investigation, please get in touch," she requested. "If we don't track him down before his associates do then there could be a lot of trouble. And by this time tomorrow, he'll be officially a fugitive and that means the likelihood of avoiding jail and staying in Witness Protection is minimal."


Xavier and Ruby waited at the spot Hugo had arranged to meet them. They were right on time but the bearded man in the shabby car was nowhere to be seen.

"He's only a few minutes late," Ruby said gently, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't panic."

"I just have a bad feeling," Xavier sighed.


On the way back to the car, Joey slipped her arm around Charlie's waist.

"I'm really proud of you, you know," she said.

Charlie looked surprised.

"Proud of me?" she asked.

"Hunting Hugo Austin down is probably the last thing you want to do right now after everything that happened," Joey said. "But the fact that you're putting your own feelings and hurt aside is a really wonderful thing. I think you're brave and I think you're a hero."

Charlie paused, taking Joey into her arms and kissed her.


Gina had only been home for a few minutes, having said goodnight to John who she worried had completely gone off her when he'd witnessed her reaction to Angelo. She growled in frustration when there was a knock at the door. Yanking it open, she nearly fainted when she came face to face with her eldest son.


Next time… Gina allows Hugo to stay the night and refuses to let Charlie and Angelo search her property while Ruby is burdened with the knowledge of Hugo's return…