Hi everyone. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story about our girls and their lives in Summer Bay. Just to say that I have just written a new fourteen part story set in 2019, which I will shortly post the first chapter of. It's a Charlie and Joey story but I've been sucked into the Willow/Alex storyline, against my better judgement so there's a bit of that in there too! If anyone fancies giving it a read, I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty Three
Charlie answered her phone surprisingly early the next morning. It was Morag. After a somewhat hurried phone call, she hung up and informed Joey of the plan. If Joey and Ruby were willing to spend the day with Ross, Charlie and Morag could attend a bail hearing for Alf.
"A bail hearing?" Joey managed. "Does that mean…?"
"I'm sorry," Charlie said. "He spoke to Robertson without Morag there yesterday. He wouldn't wait for her. He was charged with Penn's murder."
Joey burst into tears. Charlie reached out and held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. After a few moments, Joey took a deep breath and pulled away. She wiped her eyes.
"So, Ruby and I go to Ross and you and Morag go to Alf?" she said.
"That was Morag's idea," Charlie said. "What do you think?"
"Let's do it," Joey agreed.
Word had spread very quickly about Alf being charged. Hardly anybody could believe it. As horrific as the events of the day before had been, most people had assumed it was all some silly mistake and Alf would be back behind the bar with a smile on his face reassuring everyone in his warm, charming way. But no, he was in custody facing a bail hearing instead. This was not the way it was supposed to be.
"Poor Alf," Gina said to John.
The pair of them had returned home from the hotel after a lovely, surprise wedding night. Alf aside, they couldn't quite believe the events of the day before.
"Yes, poor Alf," John agreed. "He's a good man. He doesn't deserve this to happen to him. Someone will have to step up to take his place on the Surf Club committee."
"Oh and let me guess, you'll offer to do it, will you?" Gina said, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, he'll want someone who'll do the job properly," John said. "And I've been doing loads over the last few months since he's already take quite a step back. To be honest, he doesn't really do much these days anyway. I do at least half his duties."
"Well, you may as well cover for him then, dear," Gina said, amused.
John had been after Alf's position for a long time.
Ruby drove Joey to the city to spend the day with Ross. She was nervous as it was the furthest she had ever driven, especially without another driver in the car. But Charlie and Joey had insisted that they had every confidence in her. And with some time to herself that morning, Charlie was able to go into work and catch up on what had happened with Alf at the station the previous day.
She marched into the station and into Robertson's office.
"You're a bad man," she told him.
"I thought you might think that," he said. "I'm not concerned."
"Even if you felt justified in arresting him, did you have to do it in front of the entire town?"
"It felt like the right time," Robertson said.
"You're a bastard," Charlie said. "And this won't stick. What have you got? A bloody fucking apron?"
She turned to storm out of the room.
"And witness testimony," Robertson called.
Charlie halted abruptly and turned around.
"What?"
"Will Smith," Robertson informed her. "He saw Alf on the night of the murder. He said he literally had blood on his hands."
He leant forward on his desk.
"He will testify against your friend, Alf, I'm afraid," the Detective said. "He'll testify that he believes he killed him."
Charlie stormed out of the room.
Morag had left Ross in the capable hand of Joey and Ruby and left for Summer Bay. It was the first time she had left her husband alone for a long period except when he had been in hospital and she was nervous. But she knew it was necessary. She could not leave her brother unprotected and vulnerable. She had to stand up and fight for him.
Watson had dragged Charlie out for a coffee in the Diner, knowing that she needed to calm down before Alf's bail hearing.
"Thanks," Charlie said as they sat at a table in the corner. "I'm just so fucking angry. How could he do that to Alf? And Will! When I get my fucking hands on him!"
"Well, you might want to curb your temper, okay?" Watson advised. "We don't want you getting into trouble as well!"
Charlie took a breath and promised she would behave herself.
"I just can't believe Will would betray Alf like that," she said more quietly. "I mean, as if he saw anything."
"Will told the police on Alf?" Colleen burst out loudly.
Charlie wanted the world the swallow her up.
Charlie was in court, watching Alf's hearing. Alf was pleading not guilty and Morag was applying for bail. Charlie just hoped that it would be granted and that in that time, Morag would be able to put together a good case.
Joey and Ruby were having a nice day with Ross. He seemed to be quite well recovered from his infection and also to be very relaxed and happy today. It was nice to get to spend time with him.
"Excuse me," Joey said when her phone rang.
She stepped out of the room.
"Charlie?" she answered urgently.
"I'm sorry, Jo," her partner replied. "They denied bail. Alf is going to be held in custody while he awaits trial."
Joey sank against the wall, tears filling her eyes. She just couldn't believe this nightmare was happening.
That night, neither Charlie nor Joey could sleep. Charlie felt awful that she had accidentally spread the word that Will was essentially responsible for Alf being arrested and charged. She had believed she was having a private conversation with Watson but she should have known that nothing was private when Colleen was within the vicinity. She had been in trouble the second she had returned to work and Robertson had made it clear that the fact that she had discussed an investigation in a public space.
She was worried that after having been doing well at work recently, one small slip could have messed things up spectacularly. But mostly, she was worried about Alf. He had looked oddly small in court today, only standing up to give his details and offer his plea. He had looked pale and frail and all she had wanted to do was break him out and take him home. Her only comfort was that Morag had definitely agreed to pack herself and Ross up and move in with them so that she could relinquish some caring responsibility in order to fight Alf's legal case.
Beside her, Joey was also fretting about Alf. How would he cope in jail? How would he survive? It just wasn't fair that an innocent man was being charged with a crime he hadn't committed. And all the while Robertson was gunning for him, it meant that the real killer was walking free. It just wasn't right. Charlie had tried to reassure her that Morag was on the case and also that she and Watson were still searching for the truth. But although Joey would never tell her, it wasn't of as much comfort as she knew it should be. Charlie and Watson had been trying to find Penn's killer for a while now and they hadn't been successful. Now Alf was in jail and Robertson was wandering round as smug as anything. He had won.
The next day was very busy. Charlie and Joey both went to work in the morning, promising Ruby that they would be back in time for Ross and Morag's arrival that afternoon to help with their things. Ruby wasn't sure she could manage both welcoming them and helping them all by herself. However, all three of them were looking forward to their arrival.
Charlie dropped Joey off at the restaurant and then headed to the station. She was desperate to debunk Robertson's investigation against Alf and she was worried that Joey was losing faith in her as a police officer.
There was a subdued atmosphere at the restaurant as Joey, Angelo, Claire and the rest of the staff set up for the day. Somehow it felt wrong to carry on in Alf's absence, although they knew they had to. They knew that Alf would be furious if they let their lives fall apart without him.
"Um… Jo…" Angelo said, nodding towards the entrance.
Will had appeared, ready for his shift.
"Get out!"
The words had exploded from Joey's mouth before she could control them. Her staff stared at the scene in shock but she couldn't stop herself. Word had got round regarding Will's statement against Alf very quickly. Joey wasn't the only person aware of what he had done.
"What do you…?" Will managed.
"Get out!" Joey yelled, marching towards him.
"But I'm here for my shift…"
"You don't work here anymore!"
"You can't just fire me! I need this job!"
"I do not want anyone that I don't trust working for me," Joey told him. "And I don't trust you. I only took you on as favour to Irene and to be honest, I've been unsure of you since the start. But after what you've done? No way. I can't have you here."
"You're a sanctimonious bitch, Joey!" Will yelled furiously, towering over her. "You think you fucking own this town! Well, you don't! You think I don't remember you from school? Second hand school uniform? Bullied to hell? You were nothing then and you're nothing now, no matter who you might be dating and how much money you might have."
"I remember you too, Will," Joey said. "Don't forget that either. I've spent my whole damn life staying out people's way and trying not to be noticed by anyone and that meant that I've spent a lot of time watching people. I watched you. I saw you. I know exactly the kind of person you are. And there is only one reason you would have done what you did to Alf."
The two of them glared at each other for a long moment.
"You still can't fire me," Will eventually said.
"Well, I think I just did so get the hell out of my restaurant," Joey instructed.
"No!" Will yelled, still trying to intimidate her, his fists clenched by his sides.
"Right, I think that's enough of that," Angelo said firmly, stepping in between the two of them. "And I think you need to go, Will."
"And what are you going to do about it?" Will challenged.
"Do you want to find out?"
Will looked suddenly sad.
"I thought you were my friend," he said, the fight suddenly drained out of him.
"I am," Angelo said. "But I'm Joey's friend too and Alf's. And I just don't understand what you've done or why. Or how you can come charging in here and speak to Joey like this. She gave you a chance when nobody else would."
"Look how she's spoken to me!" Will said desperately.
"She's upset about Alf," Angelo said reasonably. "Everyone is, mate. I just… Why? Why on earth would you make that statement against him?"
"I had to… I had to tell the truth," Will managed.
Then he turned and fled. Angelo turned to Joey, asking if she was alright. She surprised them both by hugging him.
Charlie felt a little better when she hung up the phone from Nick. Evidently Robertson had emailed him official comments about her conduct that day before, regarding her letting slip to Colleen about Will's statement to the police. He had also reiterated that he thought she was biased towards Alf. Nick had phoned her to discuss the situation.
She had explained that she had been having a private discussion with a colleague, although had apologised for having it in a public place. She had also explained that in their small town, as he understood, that piece of information would have got out within day anyway. She had also added that she felt Robertson was biased the other way – against Alf and all through the investigation was not willing to even consider another suspect, even though she and Watson had presented other options.
Nick had seemed happy enough with her explanations and they had ended the call on good terms. It had reassured her that she wasn't in any trouble or gone backwards career wise in any way. Now she just had to go forwards with the case.
"I didn't know that you and Will were at school together," Angelo remarked as casually as her could as they went round setting up tables.
"Sort of," Joey said quietly.
She had been quiet ever since her altercation with Will.
"We weren't in the same year. We weren't friends."
Her school years were not something she liked to talk about. Thanks to Charlie, they felt like a long time ago. She felt like a very different person now. It had hurt for Will to say those things to her. And she knew that she had behaved poorly towards him. But she stood by the fact that she could no longer employ him. She didn't trust him and she couldn't be around him. He was only on a temporary, casual contract and that had been deliberate. She hadn't wanted to give him a job in the first place. It had genuinely been a favour to Irene. But she couldn't do it anymore, not when he had betrayed Alf in such an awful way.
"If you're feeling low, Joey, why don't you go home?" Angelo suggested. "We're fine here. You're off this afternoon anyway."
She smiled weakly and thanked him.
"I think I will if that's okay," she said, excusing herself.
"Well, I've lost my job," Will announced, barging through the door and throwing himself down on the sofa angrily.
He had been fuming all the way home, both with Joey and with himself. He was furious that she had fired him. It didn't seem fair to bring their personal lives into work. She knew how much he needed the few hours that she gave him.
But he was equally angry with himself. He had crossed the line when he had shouted at her. He knew she was tough but he had been physically intimidating. He must have been or Angelo wouldn't have stepped in like that. He felt ashamed of himself. But even worse than that really, he had been cruel with his words.
Neither of them had mentioned it in all the time he had been back but he did remember her from school and he knew full well that that time would be something she would rather forget about. She was a far cry from the young, anxious girl she had once been. Bullied and lonely with no friends and a rough home life. Rumours had been rife about the hell hole she had had lived in, although he didn't know how much had been true. No wonder she loved Alf so much. He was probably the Dad she had never had.
He felt awful now that he had brought it all up. He might not have had the best start in life himself but at least he had found Irene and been taken in. At least he had found a home. And school had been fine. He hadn't been much of a scholar but he had been popular and had fun. Joey had had no respite at all. And yet, she had made much more of a success of her life than he ever had. But today, he had brought up the past and tried to hurt her with it and that really hadn't been fair.
"What do you mean you've lost your job?" Irene barked at him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He looked up at her, explaining that Joey had fired him.
"Why?"
"Because of all this shit with Alf," he explained. "The statement I made."
Irene's lips formed a very thin line. She was furious with him as well. But she hadn't been awful to him about it. He knew her instinct was to protect him. It always had been.
"Well, we'll see about that," she said, marching out of the house.
Charlie, Joey, Ruby and Morag were alternately moving boxes and chatting to Ross in the kitchen. He seemed quite excited with the move, eager to be close to his daughters, of which he considered Joey to be one.
"I think this will be lots of fun," he said. "All of us living together. Getting to see my girls so much more."
Joey beamed at him and held his hand. He squeezed it tightly.
"You look a little sad today, Joey," he noticed.
"I'm okay," she assured him. "Just a bit tired."
He looked over at Morag, carrying a couple of bags into the bedroom she would be living in for the next few weeks or so.
"Morag has been a little sad for the last few days," he remarked.
Joey nodded.
"Must be all the packing," she told him.
He reached over and hugged her.
"You can always talk to me if you're sad," he told her. "I can keep secrets really well. I mostly forget them anyway."
He laughed, making Joey laugh too.
Irene marched up to Charlie and Joey's house and found the door open. She banged on the door anyway and then barged inside, surprised to find Morag, Ruby and Charlie carting boxes and bags in and out.
"Oh!" Charlie said. "Hi, Irene! We're just moving Morag and Dad's things in. They're moving in with us for a little while."
"Oh, that's lovely," Irene said quickly. "But I'm here to see Joey."
Joey stood up, a sinking feeling in her tummy. She hadn't spoken to anyone about anything that had happened at the restaurant. She'd just arrived and got on with everything busily going on at home. She walked towards Irene. Charlie, Ruby and Morag paused, watching. From the table, Ross watched as well.
"Is this about Will?" Joey asked.
"Yes, it's about Will. How could you, Joey? I thought better of you!"
"Irene, I can't have someone I don't trust working at the restaurant," Joey said. "He was only ever on a temporary contract. You knew that. And you knew I only found hours for him because you're my friend."
"You let him go?" Charlie asked.
Joey nodded, still looking at Irene.
"Plus, he was really aggressive with me this morning," she continued. "Angelo had to intervene. Aside from what he's done to Alf, I don't want someone like that working for me."
"What do you mean, aggressive?" Irene demanded.
"Standing over me, fists clenched," Joey told her.
"Will wouldn't do that," Irene said, although she didn't believe what she said.
She could picture the scene clearly. Will was not one to hold his temper.
"He did do that," Joey said. "And he's a liar. I don't know what sort of game he's playing or why but he has lied to the police. And if you ask me, you're the best person to work out why. So rather than coming round here to beg for his job back, maybe you should try and do that. But regardless, I don't want someone like that anywhere near my restaurant."
Irene swallowed.
"I think you're being unfair," she told her. "I don't believe that Alf killed Penn. But I also don't think that Will would lie about what he saw. I think there's been some terrible misunderstanding. I've known that boy since he was fifteen years old. I love him. I know him. He's not a bad person. He wouldn't do what you're all saying he's done. He just wouldn't."
"Well, he has," Charlie interrupted.
"Yes, he has," Morag added. "And because he has, my brother is in jail for the foreseeable future. He was denied bail yesterday so he's stuck there until his trial. That's the boy you know and love. So well done to Joey for firing him. If I hadn't already loved her before, I love her even more now."
Joey was touched. It was the nicest thing to happen to her all day.
Irene looked around at them all. Without anything more to say, she turned and left.
"So, things were pretty tough for you today?" Charlie broached.
It had been a long day between working in the morning, helping Ross and Morag move in during the afternoon and then spending the evening together as a family during the evening. Everyone had opted for an early night and to start afresh tomorrow.
"It wasn't the best," Joey admitted.
She turned to face her partner.
"Do you think I did wrong by firing Will?"
Charlie reached out and brushed Joey's hair back from her face.
"I think you followed your truth," she said. "I know you couldn't have someone you don't trust on your team. Neither of us trusted him from the start. That's why we both agreed a temporary contract. It's not like we didn't see something like this coming. Or worse."
Joey nodded. But the day was weighing heavily on her heart. Charlie leant over and tilted Joey's chin up with her index finger.
"There's more to this," she said.
It wasn't a question.
"Just… some of the stuff he said to me…"
Charlie furrowed her brow, concerned.
"What did he say to you?" she asked.
"Just… brought up my past and…"
"What does he knows about your past?"
"School and shit."
Charlie looked confused for a moment.
"Oh," she said. "Right."
She felt like an idiot. She, Joey and Will were not exactly the same age but not far apart. Will had lived in Summer Bay as a teenager. He had attended Summer Bay High. Joey had lived in Summer Bay all her life. Of course they would have been at school at the same time. Why hadn't she realised?
"Yeah, so…"
She shrugged.
"Did you know each other well?" Charlie asked.
"No," Joey asked. "But I didn't know anybody well. I didn't have any friends."
Charlie sighed heavily, tears threatening in the dark. She hated to think of her soul mate, her best friend so alone and unloved when she was growing up. If only they had met each other sooner, perhaps they could have saved each other.
She pulled Joey closer, holding her tightly.
"I'm sorry that he was a bastard to you, Joey," she said.
"He was upset," Joey said. "I just… I hate being reminded of the pathetic mess I used to be."
Charlie drew away, finding her eyes in the dimness of the room.
"You were not a pathetic mess," she told her firmly.
"You didn't know me," Joey told her.
"You've told me what your life was like, Joey," Charlie said. "Plus, I know you. I know who you are. And I know that regardless of the situation you were in, the same beautiful person was in there just waiting to shine through. It wasn't your fault that you were shut out and bullied and let down. Nothing that ever happened to you was your fault. And for Will to be unkind to you about it just shows us what a shitty person he is. He could have been your friend back then. What was he doing back in high school?"
"Sleeping with girls," Joey told her. "Getting into vast amounts of trouble."
"Well then," Charlie said. "I know who I would rather have been friends with then and I know who I'd rather be around now."
She leant in and kissed her.
"Forget him," she said. "And focus on the amazing woman you are, Joey. Because you are amazing. And you have always been amazing. It's just that some people in this town were a bit slow on the uptake when it came to seeing it. And that's on them. They're the ones who missed out. Luckily for me, I saw the real you as soon as I met you. And the day I met you was the luckiest day of my whole life."
Joey leaned in a kissed her hard, taking her breath away. Charlie wrapped her arms around her, kissing her back. She reached out and fumbled with Joey's t-shirt, flinging it onto the floor. She flipped her onto her back and straddled her hips, still kissing her. Suddenly, neither of them were sleepy anymore.
Next time… Indi, Romeo and Nicole get their exam results, Morag and Ross settle into Summer Bay and Ruby starts her counselling sessions…
