Chapter Four Hundred and Thirty Seven

It was the morning and Penn was knelt at Tulip O'Hare's grave. He studied the words and dates there and then closed his eyes. Taking a breath, he laid flowers at the base.

"I'll get justice for you," he promised.

Standing up, he left without another word.


At the restaurant, Joey frowned, as she studied Alf, working behind the bar. He just didn't seem to be himself these days and it was worrying her. Leaving Angelo to his own devices, Joey approached her friend.

"Alf, are you okay?" she asked, deciding to just be direct.

"Yes, love, I'm fine," he lied.

The truth was, he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and he had nobody to talk to.

"You just… don't seem very fine," Joey ventured.

Alf looked at her for a moment, briefly wondering if he could open up. Then he shook his head and attempted to smile.

"I'm fine," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "I promise."

The mood looked as if it might settle when Penn walked through the door and approached them at the bar, set on talking to Alf. Joey eyed him suspiciously, suddenly certain that he was responsible for her friend's distress.

"I'll deal with this, Joey," Alf said, effectively dismissing her.

Unhappily, she moved away.


Charlie and Watson stopped off at the Diner together to grab a coffee out on patrol.

"So, are you feeling calmer after yesterday?" Charlie asked, as they walked out together. "No more scrapping with any River Boys?"

"Well, I haven't seen any, so…" Watson grinned.

Charlie chuckled.

"Where did my peaceful, little Watson go?" she teased.


Joey felt anxious as she observed a heated exchange take place between Alf and Penn, culminating in Penn storming off. She immediately approached her friend.

"What was all that about?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Alf snapped. "I wish people would just stop fussing."

He hurried into the kitchen to find some work to do.


Outside in the open air, Penn forced himself to breathe. He leant against the wall of the building and closed his eyes, plagued with a flashback of the worst moments of his life. He remembered the time, as a child, that he had walked in on his mother, Tulip, in bed with Alf Stewart. Then, sometime later, when Alf had ended their affair, he had walked into that very same room, only to find his mother dead. She had committed suicide. And it was all Alf's fault.


Joey was despondent when she arrived home that evening and Charlie immediately picked up on her mood.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, reaching out to pull her into a hug on the sofa.

"I'm just worried about Alf," Joey said, sinking into her embrace.

They cuddled up together. Charlie kissed the top of her head.

"What about him?"

"There's just… something going on with him but I don't know what it is," Joey fretted. "I know it's something to do with that Penn Graham but…"

"Penn?" Charlie asked. "What about Penn?"

Joey shrugged.

"He won't talk to me," she said. "He won't talk to anyone, as far as I'm aware. He's just… I don't know. There's something not right there. He's not himself at all."

Charlie hugged her a little closer.

"Trust that he'll talk when he's ready," she said. "Maybe now just isn't the right time."

"Maybe," Joey sighed. "I just hope he's ready soon."


The next morning, Alf was up and out early. He had hardly slept for thinking about Tulip. He arrived at her grave and lay flowers of his own next to the ones that Penn had laid there the day before. Offering his own silent apology, he left and headed to work.


At home, Charlie and Joey had Ruby on loudspeaker so that they could both hear her.

"Yeah, things are still going well," the teenager assured them, like she did every day. "I'm feeling better and better and much more in control. I'm using all the techniques they're teaching me."

"We're really pleased to hear that, Rubes," Charlie said. "We're so proud of you for all the hard work you've put in. And we can't wait to see you soon."

"Well, they think I might be able to come home soon," Ruby said. "I mean, nothing definite or anything but they're hopeful. I'm hopeful."

"Well, we'll be so happy to have you back here," Joey said.

"Um… guys?" Ruby broached.

Charlie and Joey exchanged nervous glances.

"Yes…?" Joey replied.

"When… when Claire is allowed out of the clinic… would you help me help her move to the Bay?"

Charlie and Joey exchanged glances again.

"Claire wants to move to Bay?" Charlie asked.

"She doesn't have a home to go to," Ruby said. "And she really wants to make a go of things when she gets out. We've really bonded and we want to support each other."

Charlie and Joey silently communicated, the way they had learnt to a long time ago.

"Then yes," Joey said. "We'll absolutely help her move to the Bay. We can start thinking of somewhere for her to stay if you like."

"Thank you," Ruby said. "I really appreciate that. Thank you."


April came round to see Xavier before school and immediately got caught up in talking to him, John and Gina about the bus project idea. She was pleased that John seemed so into the idea, little knowing that he wasn't quite as impressed with it as he was making out. But she personally, was swept up by it all. Now that the bottle ban had been passed, she was eager to sink her teeth into something new.


At lunch time, Miles left school and headed straight over to the restaurant to catch up with Alf. Like many of his friends, Miles was worried about Alf and was desperate for him to open up about whatever was going on. But his housemate had left before breakfast that morning so Miles had taken it upon himself to track him down at lunch instead.

"What brings you here, Miles?" Alf wondered.

"I was um… well, you," the teacher admitted.

Alf swallowed, his mouth forming a grim line. He leant on the bar but really just wanted to walk away.

"What do you mean, me?" he asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about whatever's going on in your head," Miles said, relieved that he hadn't been shut down, at least not yet.

"There's nothing going on," Alf lied.

"Well, there obviously is," Miles persisted. "We're all worried about you, Alf."

"Well, don't be," Alf snapped.

He turned and began to serve some other customers.


Sitting on the beach, Xavier immediately tackled April about her somewhat distracted mood.

"I have a confession," she finally said, turning from gazing out at the sea to looking at him.

"What's that?" he asked, having a sinking feeling in the pit of his belly.

"Well um… the whole project thing I proposed to John might not exactly be as tried and tested as I made it out to be…"


With Alf busy wiping tables, Miles caught Joey's attention behind the bar.

"Have you noticed anything different about him too?" the curly haired man asked fretfully, hoping his housemate wouldn't notice that they were talking about him.

"That he's had a personality transplant?" Joey replied unhappily. "Yep. Noticed that."

They both sighed.

"What are we meant to do?" Miles asked.

"I've tried talking to him but he won't talk back," Joey said.

"Same."

They sighed again, both looking sadly at their friend, hoping that all was not lost.


"April, you can't just do that!" Xavier protested. "You can't just set John up for a fall. Not when he's putting so much confidence and trust in us. He's not just any old councillor. He's my step-dad, for all intents and purposes. He's family."

Even Xavier was surprised at his own references. But he supposed that that was what John had become now. He was really the only father figure that he had ever known.

"I know the outset is a bit sketchy but it'll work, Xavier," April insisted. "I know it will."

"Then there's no reason why we can't be upfront and honest about everything from the start," Xavier told her. "We can't lie to John. It's not fair."


Charlie finished her shift and headed straight to the restaurant to collect Joey so they could go home together.

"How was your day?" the police officer asked, leaning across the bar to steal a kiss.

"Yeah, it was okay," Joey said. "Miles came in. He's worried."

She nodded quietly in Alf's direction. Just as she did, Irene entered the restaurant and approached the bar, where Alf was serving customers.

"This is either going to go very well or very badly," Joey mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.


"Are you sure your parents weren't just saying that?" Claire asked uncertainly. "I mean, maybe when you get out here, they're just going to want you home and forgetting about this place, without me following like a bad smell, to remind you of everything you've been through."

Ruby squeezed her hand.

"We've been through all of this together," she said. "We've helped each other. And I want us to carry on helping each other."

Claire smiled. She knew this was her only hope, her saving grace.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you."


"Would people just quit hassling me?" Alf snapped loudly. "I'm fine! I'm fucking fine!"

The whole restaurant was stunned into silence. Irene, who had been convinced by Miles to approach their friend and try to get him to open up to her, looked extremely hurt.

Alf barged past Joey, who was wide eyed with shock and informed her that he was leaving early. Then he stormed out of the restaurant and thundered home. It took several moments for the hustle and bustle of the restaurant to resume.

Charlie and Joey approached Irene from both sides of the bar and checked that she was alright.

"I only came in because Miles persuaded me," Irene said. "He said that Alf needed to talk."

"He does," Joey said, putting an orange juice down in front of her. "He just can't admit it yet."

"Do we have any ideas?" Irene asked.

Joey and Charlie exchanged glances.

"We think it has something to do with Penn Graham," Joey said.

"But we don't know what or why," Charlie said.

"Sounds complicated," Irene sighed. "And it's not like Alf to be like this."

"Hence the worry," Charlie said.

"We'll get it out of him," Joey said confidently. "We just need to work out the best way to do it."


Alf arrived home under his own private storm cloud, ignoring everyone as he went directly to his room, slamming the door behind him. Inside, he was horrified to find the whole place had been decorated with picture of Tulip O'Hare. Penn had broken in while he had been at work, ready to play the next round of his sick, little game.


Next time… Paulie plans a day at the races, Charlie and Joey might have a solution for Claire and Xavier and April can't reach an agreement…