Episode 6838

Extended Summary

Willow and Dean are sat together in the surf club, with Dean still maintaining he had nothing to do with the car going missing. Justin and Colby arrive and Colby tells Dean he needs to speak to him. Dean isn’t too co-operative but when Colby gives him the choice of going down the station or upstairs he chooses the latter. Justin looks pleased but Willow is annoyed he got the police involved. Colby asks Dean about his whereabouts. Dean says Ash sent him to get a part for the garage but it wasn’t in and had to be ordered. Colby is somewhat sceptical about Ash backing him up but convinces Dean to tell him the shop so he can check it out: Bay Auto Spares.

Roo finishes a phone call and tells Marilyn that private investigators seem to be expensive. Marilyn wonders if Morag could suggest someone but Roo notes Alf wasn’t pleased about her telling people so is unlikely to want to get his sisters involved and there’s no-one left on Martha’s side. Marilyn suggests getting in touch with Martha’s old friends but Roo has no contact details for them and doesn’t think Alf would give her any. Marilyn offers to talk to him. She serves Alf at the Diner and promptly sits down with him, asking how things are between him and Roo. Alf says the ice hasn’t melted. Marilyn tells him Roo really wants to find her mother but Alf won’t get involved.

At the surf club, Ryder tells Raffy a rather extensive itinerary for his plan to spend the day with Coco. Raffy is somewhat bemused at how nervous he is and Ryder says he and Coco are meant to be a thing now. However, he then gets a text from her saying that she has to do schoolwork but may meet them later. Ryder is disappointed but Raffy suggests it gives him time to brush up on his pool skills. Meanwhile, Roo is at the Stewart house and has retrieved some old boxes from the attic. She is on the phone to Marilyn and tells her to keep Alf busy.

Colby goes to see Justin and Willow and tells them Dean’s story and that Ash rehired him. He asks if they actually saw Dean near the car and Willow says not right before. Justin points out he was the first person she thought of. Neither Colby nor Willow is convinced it was Dean and Justin comments on their “weird history” with him. Later, Colby returns and gives Justin the part Dean ordered: The shop owner and Ash confirmed his story. He tells Willow the police are on the lookout for the car. Willow tells Justin they need to apologise to Dean but Justin isn’t keen to see him looking smug. She asks him if his problem is Ash rehiring Dean or her once going out with him. Justin says all of the above. Willow leaves to apologise on her own.

Roo is still looking through the contents of the box when Ryder and Raffy come home. They notice the scattered papers and Raffy spots a photo of Roo as a young child with her mother. Raffy says she’s hungry so is going back to John and Marilyn’s, leaving the others alone. Later, Ryder offers Roo a tea and looks through the papers, finding old documents from Alf’s bottle shop and learning that he was on the council and once stood for mayor. Roo eventually tells him that she recently found out her mother’s alive; she explains Alf told her while they were in the sinkhole but asks Ryder not to be angry with him. Ryder understands and says he’d do the same with his mother. Roo recalls being lonely as a child and thinking her mother would have been there for her if she could. During the latter part of the conversation, Alf has been standing at the back door listening in.

Willow runs into Dean at Salt and apologises for suspecting him. Dean notes it’s not her who should be apologising. Willow agrees but also thinks Justin’s right about him being a pain. Dean asks if Justin treats her right since he always seems to be flying off the handle. Willow says that’s what Justin’s like with Dean, not with her. Later, Colby comes to see Willow at the caravan park: He has no news but wonders if there are any dodgy types with a grudge against her. Willow eventually admits there’s a couple but says the worst one’s in jail. Colby promises to keep looking.

Alf walks slowly downstairs, holding a box containing a ring with a large stone. He looks at it and silently sobs. He goes round to see Roo, who tries to hide the files. Alf says he already knows she has them and admits he tried looking for Martha but all the leads were dead ends and eventually he decided to concentrate on Roo and Ailsa. He says Martha didn’t just send the letter and hands Roo the ring, which she remembers Martha wearing. Alf says it’s a Stewart family heirloom which he gave Martha on their tenth wedding anniversary: She felt it wasn’t hers so he’s passing it on to Roo, who tried it on once and found it didn’t fit. He says he was furious with Martha for leaving him but understands why Roo wants to find her and will tell her anything she asks.

Colby radios the station to say he’s found the car: Russell is sitting in it by the beach. He recognises Colby and says he got the car from Willow’s place and is meeting her. Colby gives Willow a call. Willow soon arrives and Russell says he was waiting for her; Colby assumes they were going on a trip. Willow takes Colby aside and explains about Russell’s Alzheimer’s and that he must have got out of the nursing home. Colby suggests they go for the drive anyway and Willow notes that Russell at least remembered where she lived. Colby convinces Russell to let Willow drive.

Ryder joins Raffy at the surf club and says Roo’s fine but doesn’t give any details. He then gets a text from Coco cancelling because of her mum and complains that they spend less time together now than when they were just friends. Raffy says Coco can’t help what’s going on with her family but Ryder thinks she’s gone off him and is letting him down gently. Meanwhile, Colby goes to sit with Dean in Salt and tells him about Russell, wondering how long he’s been like that. Dean says it’s been a while and Colby would know if he stuck around. Colby says questioning him was nothing personal but Dean is still bitter and walks away.

At the Palmer house, Roo tells Marilyn about her chat with Alf and says she’s beginning to understand how hard it was for him losing his first love. John has been looking at the box the ring was in; Roo explains Martha was wearing the ring when she disappeared and just sent it back in the box. John notes that there’s a Merimbula address on it. Roo twigs that that might be where she was.