When I started this story, I wasn't quite expecting it to reach five hundred chapters! And it's not the end yet! For those still reading it, I hope you are enjoying it. I know Charlie and Joey are long since gone. I don't even watch Home and Away anymore but I do wish that these characters could have stayed together and been happy! Perhaps they could have in Neighbours! Anyway, while I am only posting the one story, I will try to post a couple of chapters a day. Enjoy. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Five Hundred
At work the next morning, Joey couldn't help but watch Will while he worked. She tried to be subtle about it but after the conversation she had had with Charlie the night before, she was more than a little wary of her employee. To be honest, she had always been wary of him. He had always made her uncomfortable and she didn't like being around him. But she hadn't considered him to be a potential killer. Could he really have killed Penn? Why would he have done that? Did he even know him? Yes, he had access to all the knives, same as Alf did. But what could his motive have been? Well, probably everyone had a motive with that cretin. There had been times when she could have gone for him herself. But that wasn't the point.
She sighed heavily and tried to concentrate on her own work. She just hoped that Charlie could find some sort of breakthrough in the case. She just hoped that she could find a way to save poor Alf.
Ruby was sat in class with Xavier, April and Dex. She was bored, listening to Xavier prattle on about how he thought his mother was seeing someone in secret.
"Do you think your Mum and John might have got back together?" April suddenly suggested.
"What?" Xavier said, shocked. "No way."
"Yeah, I bet that's it," Ruby agreed.
"No," Xavier said. "She wouldn't do that. I mean, why wouldn't they just tell me?"
"Maybe because you're so obsessed with your own mother's love life?" Ruby remarked.
Her ex-boyfriend glared at her.
"No, listen, it makes sense," Dex said. "You Mum still loves John and he loves her. She'd never just go off with some other guy. She'd never be that mean. So if you think she's seeing someone, then it makes sense that it would be John."
"But why wouldn't they just tell me?" Xavier asked.
"I think I've already answered that question," Ruby teased.
"Don't be mean," April scolded gently.
"Not everyone's parents have perfect love lives," Xavier said. "My Mum has been single for a long time and she's been really hurt before."
"And my Mum hasn't?" Ruby shot back.
"Okay, fair enough," Xavier apologised. "I'm just saying that I want her to be happy."
"Maybe she is," April said. "Maybe she's just scared of it going wrong but announcing it to the world."
"I'm not the world though," Xavier said unhappily. I'm her son."
"What the hell is going on?" Charlie demanded, charging out of her office.
"Just routine questioning," Robertson said.
Joey looked helpless as she followed Robertson into an interview room. Charlie could see the stress on her face as she battled with the memories of the previous times she had been interviewed at this police station – first when Robbo had raped her and then when Grant had died and Robertson had been convinced that one of them had killed him. He had been wrong then and he was wrong now, Charlie was sure of it.
"Well, I'm sitting in," Charlie insisted.
"I don't think that's appropriate, do you?" Robertson said. "Graves has no connection to the witness. She can sit in just fine. Miss Collins?"
He gestured for her to enter the room. Joey cast what she hoped would be a reassuring look at Charlie and walked into the room. Robertson closed the door.
Watson stepped up beside Charlie and put her hand on the small of her back.
"She'll be okay," she said. "She's tough. Everything she's been through in her life, she can handle a couple of questions from him. He's just trying to rattle everyone. Don't let him."
Charlie let out her breath. She managed a weak smile. All she wanted to do was protect the woman she loved.
It was lunch time and Xavier was on a mission.
"John!" he called as soon as he entered the Surf Club.
His former step-dad walked over to him, smiling. His face fell when he saw how serious the teenager was.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Are you and my Mum back together?" Xavier demanded.
"What? Of course not," John lied, looking anxious.
"Well, I'm convinced that she's seeing someone," Xavier told him. "She keeps sneaking around and being really weird. So if it's not you then I'm really sorry to break it to you but she's met someone else. So please, if it's you, will you just tell me?"
John sighed. He felt awful. They had only been keeping things under wraps because they hadn't wanted the pressure of people knowing. They'd felt that being official might ruin what they had. But they certainly hadn't wanted to upset anyone. Especially not Xavier.
"Okay, sit down," he requested.
They sat.
"Look, we didn't mean to lie to you…" he began.
Joey was anxious as she sat opposite Robertson and Graves.
"So, you know Alf Stewart very well."
It was a statement more than a question.
"Yes," she replied.
"What do you think of him?"
"He's a good, kind and caring man," Joey said.
"Have you ever seen him display anger or violence?" Robertson asked.
"Never."
"In all the time you've known him?"
"In all the time I've known him."
"What is it about Alf that makes him so special?"
"He's like a Dad to me," Joey said. "My parents are both dead. Since I've known him, Alf has always looked out for me. He's been someone I can look up to. Someone I can talk to."
"That's nice. It sounds like a special relationship," Roberson agreed.
"It is."
"So… I imagine you feel protective of him?"
"I do."
"You'd do anything for him."
Joey looked at the Detective, studying his face.
"Within reason," she said carefully.
"What does that mean?"
"I wouldn't do anything immoral or illegal, if that's where you're going with this."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I know you."
Robertson chuckled.
"I'm not the bad guy here," he said. "The person who killed Penn is the bad guy."
"Then I suggest you go and find them," Joey replied. "Are we finished here or do you have any more questions?"
Robertson and Graves exchanged glances.
"I think we're done," Robertson said. "For now."
Things hadn't gone terribly well with Xavier. He had been relieved that he and Gina were back together and she wasn't dating some other guy. That was what he had wanted all along. But he had been hurt that they had lied to him and didn't understand why.
However, he had then made a comment about a lunch date. John did not have a lunch date booked with Gina so now he wanted to know as much as anyone who she was meeting.
"Come on," he said to himself. "Answer your phone."
For starters, he wanted to warn her that her son might be on the rampage about his new found information. But also, he wanted to know who she was meeting!
"Jo!" Charlie said, rushing towards her girlfriend as soon as she exited the interview room. "Jo, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Joey assured her. "I promise."
"I'm taking my break now," Charlie told Robertson, escorting Joey out of the station.
The couple walked out into the fresh air.
"Joey, what happened?" she asked worriedly.
"Nothing, to be honest," Joey said. "I think it was a wind up more than anything. Just trying to get under our skin. Under Alf's. He was there when they took me in."
Charlie shook her head in disgust.
"As if you had anything to do with any of this," she said. "He's such a bastard."
"Well, he would say he has to interview anyone connected to his suspect," Joey said.
"Look at you, Ms Reasonable," Charlie remarked, climbing into the car.
Joey seated herself in the passenger side and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"It was pretty horrible," she admitted. "I really don't like interview rooms."
"I know," Charlie said, holding her hand.
At the restaurant, the staff were struggling to concentrate for different reasons. Alf was beside himself with worry that Robertson and Graves had taken Joey off for an interview. She was the last person he wanted to get caught up in this whole mess. It was wrong and it was cruel to have dragged her off like that. He was sure half of this investigation was sport for that man.
Angelo was also worried about his friend. And the other half of him was fascinated by Roo, who was having lunch with Gina. The pair of them seemed thick as thieves these days. They were always together. He wondered how they didn't run out of things to say to each other!
"Oh, hello!"
Gina and Roo looked up as John approached them cheerfully.
"Oh! John! I wasn't expecting you to be here," Gina said a little anxiously.
"Am I interrupting?" John asked.
"No, no," Gina lied.
"We're just having a quiet lunch," Roo said. "Join us if you like."
"No, I wouldn't like to disturb you," John said. "I just wanted to warn you about Xavier."
"Xavier?" Gina asked.
"He knows."
Gina's face fell.
"Uh oh."
"Yeah, he's not thrilled."
Gina sighed.
"What does he know?" Roo asked. "Sorry to be nosy but I'm just… nosy."
Charlie and Joey walked through the doors of the restaurant.
"Joey!" Alf said, relieved to see his boss and his friend back in one piece.
"Hey," Joey greeted. "I'm fine. I told you I would be. No need to worry."
He walked over and hugged her. Roo watched him carefully.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing really," Joey said. "He was irritating more than anything."
"As long as you're okay," Alf said. "I'm so sorry you're getting caught up in this whole mess."
"It's not your fault," Joey said. "None of this has anything to do with you."
She and Charlie came to sit at the bar. Alf poured them both a soft drink.
"What did he want to know?" Angelo asked curiously.
"Oh, you know," Joey said. "Same thing he's been asking everyone. He's already interviewed you, hasn't he?"
Angelo nodded. He glanced over at Roo, Gina and John. Roo had resumed talking to her lunch date. Alf walked over to a customer to serve them.
"Why don't you just ask her out?" Joey said bluntly.
"Who?" Angelo asked casually.
"Roo, for goodness sake," Charlie said. "You're starting to drool."
"I don't like Roo," he lied.
"Oh, it's must be Gina you're lusting after then," Joey remarked.
Angelo blushed.
"I think you might have some competition from John though," Charlie added.
Joey grinned and nudged her partner.
"They do seem to be spending a lot of time together, don't they?" Joey mused, looking round as subtly as she could.
"Who?" Angelo asked.
"Yeah, I'd noticed that," Charlie said.
"Who?"
"Do you think it could be a bit… suss?"
"What?"
"Connected to…?"
"What?"
"Maybe."
"What are you talking about?" Angelo demanded.
"Nothing!" Charlie and Joey replied.
Then they took their drinks to a table to carry on talking. Angelo was infuriated.
Ignoring them, he returned his attention to Roo, who was laughing with Gina and John. He sighed heavily and wondered if Alf's daughter would ever actually notice him or if it was going to be yet another woman who wasn't into him. First he'd liked Charlie. Then he'd liked Joey. They'd only had eyes for each other. Then he'd liked Shandi but she'd just used him and moved onto two other guys since then. What was wrong with him?
He didn't think he was a bad looking guy. Certainly before the incident with Jack, he hadn't been short of offers for dates. But then, he'd changed a lot since then. He missed the person he'd been then. He'd been laid back and fun, the typical cheeky chappy, people called him. The guilt of Jack's death haunted him. He saw it in his eyes every time he looked in the mirror. The trauma of being in jail haunted him too. He saw that there as well, although he didn't talk about it. Since then, he knew he took things too seriously. He knew he had an air of desperation about him. He knew he was one for bad decision making. He knew, quite frankly, he was a bit of a loser, no matter how hard he tried. Probably, in part, because of how hard he tried.
"So, do you think it could have something to do with you know who?" Joey asked quietly, sipping her drink and trying not to look at Roo's table directly.
"Well, they are spending a lot of time together lately," Charlie said. "And it could explain why Roo just turned up here out of the blue."
Joey nodded thoughtfully. She felt sad that Roo would have an ulterior motive other than coming to see her father.
"I guess we'll just have to watch this space," Charlie said.
"Will you need to do anything about it if something is going on with them?" Joey asked. "You know… officially?"
"It depends what it is, I guess," Charlie said. "I mean… well, you know how I felt about everything at the time. If it hadn't been for Martha…"
Joey nodded. She glanced over at the table. Gina, John and Roo all seemed to be having a lovely time together.
That afternoon, Charlie caught up with Watson back at the station. She was still furious with Robertson for bringing Joey in needlessly for interview this morning and was making that pointedly clear.
"Hey," she said, pulling Watson into her office. "Can we get started on our Penn Project again?"
"Of course," Watson said.
"I just… there has to be something we've missed somehow," Charlie said anxiously.
Watson sighed heavily.
"I don't know what though, Charlie," she said. "We've been through every bit of evidence so many times. There doesn't seem to be anything to prove or disprove that Alf is to blame."
"What about Will Smith?" Charlie ventured.
"Irene's lodger?"
"Yes," Charlie said. "He works for Alf in the bait shop. It's just a theory but…"
"Have you mentioned it to Robertson?"
"Not yet," Charlie said. "I want to have something more concrete to present to him first."
"Okay," Watson said. "Let's look into it."
Alf stopped short on the landing at the top of the stair. Through the bedroom door, he could hear Roo arguing with someone on the phone. He didn't like to pry but things sounded serious. He heard her swear loudly and then it sounded like the conversation was over. He politely knocked on the door and entered when she said he could.
"Roo, love, what's wrong? Who were you arguing with?" he asked.
"Were you listening in?" she accused.
"Not really listening," he said. "I was walking past and I heard."
Roo winced and considered lying.
"I… I'm in debt back home," she admitted.
He sighed and came to sit beside her on the bed.
"What kind of debt?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" she snapped. "Debt. I owe money. A lot of money."
"Well, I have money," Alf said kindly. "I can help you. Just tell me how much you need. I can transfer money to you first thing. We can go down to the bank together."
Roo's heart surged with love for him. Even after all this time and distance, her father was always there to help her out, no questions asked. She smiled and squeezed his hand.
"Thank you," she said. "But I'm getting it sorted. I promise. But thank you."
She hugged him.
"Are you okay, Angelo?" Joey asked. "You look a bit down."
"I'm fine," he mumbled.
"Hey," she said, nudging him playfully. "What's up?"
He sighed, looking genuinely unhappy.
"Angelo?" she asked worriedly.
"I just… everyone thinks I'm a joke," he said.
"Of course they don't," she assured him. "We don't."
"Yes, you do," he said. "You were talking in riddles around me earlier."
Joey immediately felt guilty and apologised.
"It's fine," he said, still looking unhappy. "I just… feel like I'm being left behind."
"By who?" Joey asked.
"Everyone!" he exclaimed. "You and Charlie are all happy together. Liam has come back on top of the world. Bianca has Vittorio. Even the teenagers are all smug and happy together like Indi and Romeo and Xavier and April. I mean, I'm less far along in my life than a bunch of kids."
"Angelo…"
"I'm serious, Joey," Angelo interrupted. "What have I got in my life? I've got a criminal record, a failed career as a cop, I don't have my own home, I'm working as a barman, I have no girlfriend and no prospects of meeting anyone. What have I actually got?"
"You've got a place to live, a good job, good friends…" Joey reminded him.
Angelo sighed.
"I want more," he said sadly.
"Then you need to go out and get it," she told him.
"I don't know how."
She reached out and gave him a hug.
"You'll work it out," she said encouragingly. "And I know it's a cliché but you'll absolutely meet someone when it's the right time. I know you will."
At home, Gina prepared to face her son. She hoped that he had had some time to cool off and calm down.
"Hi," she said when he walked through the door.
"Hello," he replied.
"Listen…" she began.
"I know about you and John," he interrupted.
"Yes, I know," she replied.
"And before you say anything, I'm happy that you're back together," he told her. "But I don't know why you lied to me. You know I would have been supportive. I love John. I want him to be my step-dad."
"That was just it," Gina tried. "I was worried about getting into a relationship with all that pressure."
Xavier shrugged.
"It still doesn't excuse all that lying and sneaking around," he said. "I expected better of you."
Gina felt suitably ashamed.
"But I am genuinely glad you're back together," Xavier added. "You're good together. I hope you can make it work this time."
Joey arrived home to find Ruby looking rather glum on the sofa.
"What's up with you?" she wondered.
"Just… everyone is in love but me," the teenager sighed.
Not you as well, Joey thought to herself, coming to sit beside her daughter on the couch. She put her arm around her.
"That's because there's nobody worthy of you in Summer Bay," she grinned. "He clearly hasn't arrived yet."
Ruby grinned and snuggled up against her.
"You're the best, Joey," she said.
Joey kissed the top of her head.
"Would takeaway pizza and ice cream make me even better?" she asked.
"Oh, most definitely!"
That evening, Roo sent Gina a text message, politely asking if she had had anymore thoughts about the money Hugo and Martha needed so urgently.
Next time… Dex embarrasses himself, Sid is questioned by the police and Ruby makes a mistake…
