Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty Seven
Monday morning hit like a bucket of cold water and Charlie really didn't want to go to work. She was angry with Angelo for getting their station into trouble and worried that she and the rest of her innocent colleagues could find themselves in trouble. But at the same time, she felt sorry for him because he was either a victim of circumstances or he had been misguided about what was right and what was wrong. Charlie didn't think she had ever felt so torn before.
"Oh, Mr Stewart!" Marilyn gushed. "I mean, Alf! Thank you so much!"
She had been in bed before he'd got home last night so over breakfast, he had informed her that he liked her business idea and was happy to set up her tarot reading business in the spare room of the bait shop, any time she liked.
"It's my pleasure, Marilyn," he said sincerely. "It really is."
The police station was so quiet that a pin drop could have been heard. Everyone was on edge as they awaited the arrival of Constable Wilson, who had been selected to lead the investigation. Several people were holding Angelo in angry regard, blaming him for getting them into trouble. Charlie was trying not to jump on the bandwagon and be impartial. She was hoping to lead by example and that they would all get through the investigation together unscathed.
"Hi, Joey!" Marilyn said cheerfully, waving as she approached the bait shop.
Joey stopped what she was doing and headed out to greet her.
"Hi!" she said, just as enthusiastically. "Are you starting already?"
"Well, not officially," Marilyn said. "But yes, I've come to clear the room out and try to get things organised."
"Well, it's pretty quiet," Joey said. "I can always help you with any lifting and stuff. I'm sure Alf won't mind, so long as I keep an eye out for customers."
"If you don't mind," Marilyn said. "Then I'd be really grateful for the help. I'm so excited!"
She grinned, showing just how thrilled she was with her new project.
"I think it's going to be fantastic," Joey enthused.
Charlie, Watson, Angelo and the rest of their colleagues gathered for Constable Wilson's arrival. He walked in, looking grand and self important. Charlie silently reminded herself that she outranked him.
"Constable Wilson," she greeted, extending her hand. "I'm Sergeant Charlie Buckton."
He nodded and offered a limp handshake.
"Which one of you is Senior Constable Angelo Rosetta?" he asked. "At least for the time being."
Angelo grimaced and stepped forward, introducing himself. For one of the first times in his life, he hated being the centre of attention.
"This place is looking pretty good already," Joey said, when she and Marilyn had been clearing out the spare room of the bait shop.
"Yeah," Marilyn agreed, dusting herself off. "Thank you for helping me."
"No worries," Joey said. "I'm happy to."
"No wonder Alf speaks so highly of you," Marilyn commented.
Joey paused curiously.
"Does he really?" she asked.
She thought the world of Alf and to think that he genuinely respected her was wonderful.
"Oh, he doesn't stop raving about you," Marilyn said. "In fact, if you hadn't told him to go for it, I don't think I would have agreed to let me do this."
"Oh, I'm sure he would have," Joey said easily. "He thinks the world of you."
Charlie and Watson were sipping coffee anxiously in the kitchen. Wilson had brought a team with him and they had already started surveying every inch of paperwork that existed in the building. Charlie was at least relieved that she had always been a stickler for paperwork rules and always double checked her colleagues' work. Wilson was currently interviewing Angelo and everyone was nervous for him.
At lunch time, Miles stopped by the bait shop to see if Marilyn was around. He was surprised to see the room completely cleared and ready for her to move her stuff in. There was a lot of junk in a skip outside, waiting to be taken away.
"Marilyn, you didn't move all that stuff by yourself, did you?" he asked worriedly.
"With these nails?" Marilyn giggled. "No. Joey helped me."
Joey appeared upon hearing her name.
"With these nails," she smirked, showing short and rather grubby hands.
Frowning, she wiped them on her jeans.
"What can we do for you, Miles?" Marilyn asked.
"I just came to see how things were going," Miles explained. "I'd offer to help but obviously Joey's got you covered!"
"How many times do I need to describe what happened?" Angelo asked, evidently irritated.
"Let's try once more," Wilson said, not bothered by him in the slightest. "I want to see how many times you can contradict yourself in a matter of hours."
"How am I contradicting myself?" Angelo snapped. "I've got my story completely straight!"
Wilson merely raised his eyebrows.
"Not like that," Angelo said quickly. "You know what I mean."
"No, I don't know what you mean," Wilson replied. "So why don't you tell me? Again?"
With Joey busily serving customers in one part of the bait shop, Miles took Marilyn aside.
"Maybe you should calm things down a little bit," he said awkwardly.
"Why?" Marilyn asked, surveying the room and pondering the best place to set up her tarot table.
"Well, you don't want to take on too much…" he tried.
"I want to take on everything I can," Marilyn insisted.
"But you're sick!" Miles protested. "You should be resting and…"
They turned when they heard a floorboard squeak. Joey stood awkwardly in the door and apologised.
"What happened?" Charlie and Watson both asked when Angelo appeared in the office.
"I'm suspended," Angelo told them, his mood thunderous.
"Just like that?" Charlie asked.
"Yes, Charlie," he snapped. "Just like that. I'm not allowed back on the premises until the investigation is complete. Unless they decide to take things further and arrest me."
He slammed around, shoving things into a bag. Without so much as saying goodbye, he stormed out of the station completely. Charlie and Watson exchanged awkward glances. Wilson then appeared and called Charlie for her interview.
Miles had made a hasty exit, leaving Marilyn and Joey alone together.
"Joey…" Marilyn began.
"You don't have to explain," the bait shop manager said. "You don't owe me anything."
She smiled kindly. Marilyn followed her into the main room of the bait shop.
"Do you promise not to tell anyone?" she asked.
Joey hesitated.
"I mean, you can tell Charlie," Marilyn continued. "She's your partner. You shouldn't have secrets from her."
Joey nodded, hopping up on the counter.
"What's wrong with you?" Joey asked gently.
"I'm dying," Marilyn said. "That's why I came back to the Bay. I wanted my last days to be at home with my family."
Joey nodded sadly.
"I'm so sorry," she said.
Marilyn plastered a smile on her face.
"It's okay," she said. "I've made peace with it. I just… I don't want people knowing."
"Nobody but Charlie will hear it from me," Joey promised.
Charlie sat opposite Constable Wilson, trying to keep her face impassive.
"So, what do you think happened that night?" the investigator asked, getting right to the point.
"As a team we brought down Detective Eaves, arrested him, Hugo and Martha," Charlie said. "I was put in charge of Eaves while Angelo took Hugo and Martha into custody. On the way, Hugo escaped and…"
"Because he need to pee or something ridiculous like that?" Wilson interrupted.
"Apparently so," Charlie replied evenly.
"And you don't think that's unlikely?"
"I don't know why Angelo would lie," Charlie said.
"Maybe to cover up letting them escape?" Wilson suggested.
Charlie swallowed, keeping her face impassive.
"I don't know one way or another," she stated. "But to let them escape doesn't make any sense to me. This case has been Senior Constable Rosetta's life for over a year. He's put everything he has into it. He wouldn't let it fold just like that."
Wilson nodded thoughtfully, looking down at his notes.
"I understand that he was released from prison to take on this case," he said.
"That's right."
"I also understand that he was in prison because he murdered a fellow colleague, Constable Jack Holden."
"I believe it was manslaughter, not murder," she corrected him.
"Are you aware that with Detective Eaves in custody, Hugo Austin is no longer essential to closing the human trafficking case?" Wilson asked, changing the subject.
"I'm not sure of the exact details of that," Charlie said.
"And would you say that Senior Constable Rosetta feels guilty for your colleague's death?"
Charlie shifted a little.
"Very," she said.
"And this Martha Holden, the woman who escaped with Hugo Austen," Wilson ventured. "She was Constable Holden's widow?"
"That's right," Charlie said weakly.
"And you don't think his guilt might have prompted him to try and make things up to her?" Wilson said. "Set her and her murderous boyfriend free?"
"Angelo feels very guilty for Jack's death," Charlie agreed. "But it still seems unlikely that he would have let Hugo go, knowing what he's capable of."
Wilson nodded again. Charlie was finding him impossible to read.
"Tell me," he said. "Do you consider Constable Rosetta to be a good man, Sergeant?"
Charlie swallowed again.
"Nobody's perfect," she said. "But yes, on the whole, I do."
"Really?" Wilson said, surprised. "Do you usually find people like him good? He broke the rules while investigating the development site, he killed a man, he struck a deal to get out of jail scot free, he's stalked you and repeatedly tried to break up your relationship, or so I gather. Why are you lying to me to try and save him?"
With nothing better to do, Angelo had wound up in the Surf Club, intent on drowning his sorrows. When Alf had expressed some concern, Angelo had explained what had happened.
"Did you do it?" Alf asked, not entirely sure what he wanted the answer to be.
Angelo looked him in the eye.
"Yes," he confessed. "I did. I let Hugo and Martha go."
"Just ignore her," Joey said sympathetically, squeezing Marilyn's shoulder.
Having got wind of Marilyn's new business venture, Colleen had marched down to the bait shop to tell her exactly what she thought of the idea. And it was not favourable.
"She called me a witch," Marilyn said sadly, her mood officially dampened.
"And that makes her sound stupid," Joey said. "This is a good business idea and you should be proud of it. Don't let some jumped up gossip, full of her own self importance, ruin your day. Especially not in the circumstances."
Marilyn nodded and managed to smile.
"Thank you, Joey," she said.
"I'm not lying to you," Charlie insisted. "I genuinely do not know if Angelo let Hugo and Martha go. I can't answer your question with facts. All I can say is that with the amount of work he put into bringing Hugo down, it seems unlikely that he would just set him free like that. And that's all I can say. I'm sorry not to be of more help."
Wilson's lips formed a thin, unimpressed line.
"It's curious," he said. "I would have thought you'd jump at any chance to get rid of him, considering the turbulent relationship you seem to have."
"Honestly, I would if I could," Charlie said. "But that would be unprofessional of me. I'm not going to sabotage someone's career without proof of wrong doing. And I certainly wouldn't do it just because he gets on my nerves or something."
She just hoped she had done enough to convince him.
Angelo left the Surf Club and went for a walk along the beach. He spotted Joey working outside the bait shop on a boat that had obviously been brought in for repair. He wondered if there was anything Joey Collins didn't excel in and he couldn't help but be bitter about it.
"Hey," he greeted when he was within hearing distance.
Joey stopped working and face him.
"How did it go?" she asked, sounding genuinely compassionate.
"I've been suspended," he said. "I suppose you think I deserve it."
Joey held her hands up in surrender.
"I'm not about to judge you," she said. "And I know Charlie wants to do everything she can to help."
Angelo looked surprised.
"She is?"
"Neither of us knows exactly what happened but whatever the case, we know you were trying to do the right thing," Joey explained. "I'm not convinced that you actually did the right thing but that's irrelevant. Nobody wants you to lose your job over all of this."
Angelo continued to look confused.
"You are Joey Collins who hates my guts, right?" he asked.
"I remember calling a vague truce," she reminded him. "For as long as you don't try and steal my girlfriend, I will be civil. I don't think you can say fairer than that, can you?"
Angelo nodded and turned to walk away. He was touched that they cared but he was worried about Charlie putting herself on the line for his stupid mistake.
Charlie and Joey were both pleased to come home at the end of a long day. Having indulged in a bath together, they were now tucked up in bed and ready for sleep.
"What's on your mind?" Charlie wondered.
Her girlfriend had been a little quiet.
"Can I tell you a secret?" Joey asked.
Charlie shifted onto her side, gazing worriedly into Joey's eyes.
"Sure," she said. "What's happened?"
"Marilyn's dying," Joey told her sadly.
Next time… Angelo tells the truth to save his colleagues…
