Episode 7161

Extended Summary

Ben is led out of the surf club by Murray and another officer with Alf, Roo and John trailing them: All are bemused. Colby comes along and briefly talks to Murray, who says Ben’s being taken to the station. Colby says he’ll meet them there. John is filming the arrest and Ben says to call Maggie. At the farm house, Dean is saying he wished he’d hit Rick harder to make it worthwhile if he’s going to get in trouble, which leaves Ziggy frustrated. Maggie tries to play peacemaker but then gets the call from Roo.

Bella comes downstairs and finds Irene there, having not been to work yesterday or today. Bella says they need to behave normally so no-one gets suspicious. Irene replies that she hates that Bella knows that. Bella apologises for bringing Tommy to the house. Irene says it’s not her fault and decides she will go to work. Bella offers to walk her.

As they approach the Diner, they encounter Colby coming down from his flat in uniform. He asks how living together is going. Irene gets nervous when he mentions a big case he can’t talk about and Bella has to remind her she’s going to work. Colby wonders about her behaviour and Bella dismisses it as a misunderstanding over laundry.

At the police station, McCarthy tells Colby that the AFP are leading the case and if Ben is involved, he’s just the tip of the iceberg. They’ve been asked to take a statement. Maggie, Ziggy and Dean turn up wanting to know what’s going on and Colby gives them a brief catch-up. Maggie and Ziggy confidently but nervously state Ben will be home soon.

In the interview room, McCarthy and Colby show Ben photos of his boards and his signature on the form clearing them for export, which he confirms are authentic. They then show him more photos of packages hidden inside the boards: They were randomly x-rayed and drugs were found inside. Ben explains that he outsourced the manufacture and only checked a few boards, not all one hundred. He offers them the factory address and conversations from his phone.

Alf comes into the Diner for his order and Irene says she’ll bring it out to him. John comes in and asks if there’s news of Ben; he, Alf and Roo explain to Irene and Bella about the arrest. Irene realises that was what Colby was talking about. She and Bella look nervous as the others say the police will get to the bottom of it.

Colby and McCarthy exit the interview room. McCarthy says Colby and Murray should check out the factory. Colby lets Maggie and Ziggy in to see Ben but stops Dean from following. Dean worries Mick Scanlan is involved. Colby stops him from calling him, saying the best he can do is give a statement and McCarthy will take it. Ben tells Maggie and Ziggy he’s in a lot of trouble.

Irene takes a moment to herself outside the Diner and Bella checks on her. They take Alf’s tea over to him and Irene notices a newspaper headline about an unidentified man in hospital. Alf says someone was beaten up and dumped outside with no ID and police are appealing for witnesses. He thinks he’ll soon be identified with social media and technology nowadays. Bella excuses herself as Irene asks to see the article. Back at the beach house, Bella deletes her conversations with Tommy, deletes him from her friends list and finally deletes the account.

Dean rejoins Maggie and Ziggy after giving his statement. Colby and Murray return and Colby has a whispered conversation with McCarthy. Ziggy wonders if they should call Coco but Maggie insists it will be sorted soon. Colby and McCarthy tell Ben that the phone number rang out and the factory was empty: Whatever was there has been cleaned out. The AFP have applied for an extension, meaning Ben will be held overnight. He is brought through to the reception area where Ziggy, Dean and Maggie are filled in. Maggie and Ziggy give Ben a hug before he is taken to the cells, telling them to call a lawyer.

Irene is reading the article when John comes to the counter and takes a few gos to attract her attention. Dean and Ziggy turn up and give John, Roo and Alf an update on Ben. Irene goes home where she tells Bella what she learned from the article. Bella tells her there’s nothing online to connect them to Tommy. Irene feels she won’t be able to live with herself if Tommy doesn’t wake up.

Colby lets Maggie in to see Ben in the cell area. She has brought dinner and Colby gives them half an hour. Maggie tells Ben she’s e-mailed lawyers and left messages and they do their best to reassure her. Later, Maggie heads home and tells Dean and Ziggy that Ben’s putting on a brave face. She is annoyed about how Ben is being suspected, asking why Dean isn’t being questioned when he was the one that came up with the order. Ziggy is annoyed but Dean understands and heads home. Ziggy reminds Maggie that she was the one who suggested outsourcing the boards and found the manufacturer, saying she shouldn’t throw random accusations around.

Dean goes to see Colby at the police station to demand he do more. Colby says they’ve chased up every lead Ben and Dean gave them: The name Ben gave them belongs to someone from Yabbie Creek that died in 2005. Dean wants to get the River Boys together but Colby says this is too big for that. Next morning, Dean and Ziggy meet up near the beach. Dean invites Ziggy to question him. She asks if he knows anything about the drugs and he says he would never do that to Ben. John comes over and, after asking about Ben, gives Dean an envelope that was left for him at the surf club yesterday. In it are photos of Dean punching Rick and a note saying “Unless you want the cops to see these, call me.” Dean concludes his father is blackmailing him.