Episode 7351

Extended Summary

Ryder is on the balcony at Salt. Evan joins them and asks if he did enough for Ryder to pass his assignment. Ryder admits that there was no assignment: He just wanted to hear Evan play. He reveals that he knows Evan’s sick and that Roo told him. Evan doesn’t blame her, saying he wanted to tell Ryder but didn’t know how and feels like he let him down. He apologises but Ryder doesn’t answer so he leaves. In the main restaurant, Mackenzie greets Ari and wonders why he’s late. His response is to kiss her, which she says they’ll discuss in detail later. Ryder tells Mackenzie he’s getting off and she thanks him for organising the event. He says a brief goodbye to Alf, Roo and Martha, who worry about him. Justin asks them if they’ve seen Leah and goes to check the Diner.

Justin arrives at the Diner and finds the door open. He calls out and uses his phone as a torch, finding the empty till and then Leah huddled in the corner of the kitchen. When she fails to respond much to his attempt to ask if she’s okay, he says he’ll just sit close by and call the police. Back at Salt, Ari asks Mackenzie about Gemma not working. Mackenzie explains about Nikau losing it at her and Ben in front of Maggie. Roo thinks she, Alf and Martha should be getting back to Ryder. Alf tries to settle their bill but Mackenzie says it’s on the house after the income Ryder generated. Roo gets a call from Justin and says they’ll have to go on without her, explaining about the Diner being robbed and Leah being caught up in it. Ari looks worried as Alf wonders who’d do a thing like that.

Nikau is packing a bag at home. Tane discovers him and Nikau says he has to get out of town, adding that he can’t watch Gemma with Ben. Tane asks him if he has any idea where he’s going to go. Nikau admits he doesn’t and Tane points out he won’t get very far without money or a car. He convinces Nikau to sleep on it, and if he still wants to go in the morning, he’ll help him. Meanwhile, Roo arrives at the Diner. She is greeted by Justin; Leah is sat with a policewoman, who’s taking notes, and other police officers are at work. Justin tells Roo that Leah isn’t hurt physically but flinched away from him. He asks Roo to help get her home.

Justin, Leah and Roo arrive back at the Morgan house. Justin offers to get a drink but Leah wants to go to bed. Justin says he’ll sleep on the couch, which Leah doesn’t object to. After she’s gone, Justin tells Roo that Leah seems to have regressed to how she was after Douglas and worries she isn’t strong enough to get better this time. Roo says Justin will help her, giving him a hug and leaving. Leah sobs in her room while Justin listens at the door. Meanwhile. Alf and Martha find Ryder at home. He explains that he told Evan he knows, saying he didn’t mean to and the timing was off. He worries he’s messed things up. He heads off to bed, leaving both Alf and Martha feeling they could throttle Evan.

Next morning, the police have the Diner cordoned off as a crime scene. Alf, Martha, Roo and Marilyn gather on the other side of the police tape. Roo relates her encounter with Leah last night. Ryder arrives and is disappointed that there’s no chance of coffee. He says he hasn’t seen Evan today and thinks he needs some caffeine before tackling that one. After he’s gone, the others wonder who was responsible for the robbery. At the Parata house, Tane asks Nikau if he deliberately stayed in his room until Gemma was gone. He thinks Nikau needs to talk to Gemma but Nikau says she’ll just say the same things she always does. He hasn’t made his mind up about leaving. Tane says Nikau can’t leave the family but Nikau points out Tane did. Ari arrives back, having been out all night, and picks up on the tense silence. He tells them about the robbery at the Diner and says they need to keep their heads down. Tane says both he and Nikau were home all night and Nikau agrees, before leaving. Ari wonders what’s going on and Tane blames Nikau’s mood on the fight with Gemma.

Mackenzie finds Nikau sat outside the surf club. She asks him about losing his temper with Gemma last night and Nikau apologises. Ryder comes along and says he managed to ruin the party himself. Mackenzie nevertheless tells Nikau to keep his drama out of Salt in future. The others leave as Roo approaches Ryder and encourages him to go and see Evan. Ryder says he wouldn’t know what to say to him but Roo suggests time is short. Ryder goes to Evan’s caravan and knocks on the door. Evan isn’t there but his pills and oxygen cylinder are laid out on the table.

Tane finds Nikau on the beach. He hasn’t told Ari what Nikau is thinking because he’s hoping they can sort it out without Ari getting involved. Nikau reminds Tane that he cut ties with them because he said he didn’t want to watch the family tear itself apart. Tane says he learned what it was like to have to live without the people he loved and it was only pride that kept him away so long. The two of them head home where Nikau seems to be coming round to the idea of staying in town. They again fall quiet when Ari comes in and Tane says he was trying to get Nikau to apologise to Gemma. Ari says she’s at work. After he’s gone, Nikau confirms to Tane he will speak to Gemma.

Justin finishes a phone call with Marilyn, then calls out to Leah that he’s made her a coffee. He knocks on the bedroom door but finds it empty. He tries to call her on her phone but it’s in the bedroom. Meanwhile, Alf has rented two canoes to a couple of young women near the bait shop. Roo arrives with coffees from Mackenzie for him, Martha and Marilyn. Justin arrives and tells them about Leah being missing, asking them to look out for her. Ryder also appears and tells Roo about finding the medical gear in Evan’s van. He decides to call him and try and arrange lunch.

Justin finds Leah sat near the beach. She says she felt trapped and had to get out and is sorry she worried him. Sitting at the opposite end of the seat to her, Justin asks if she’s eaten, suggesting they go get breakfast and saying they don’t have to talk. At Salt, Ari chats to Mackenzie about Nikau’s strange mood. Mackenzie notes Gemma has just left. Leah and Justin arrive and Mackenzie goes over to them, expressing her sympathy about the robbery and asking if they know who did it. All Leah can remember is the robber was tall with dark hair. Listening at the bar, Ari glowers.