Episode 7352

Extended Summary

Alf, Martha and Marilyn are all still waiting outside the taped off Diner. Alf suggests Marilyn should go home but Marilyn is hoping the police will be finished soon so she can open up. Martha has to go to art class and Alf wants to visit John in hospital. As they are leaving, Roo arrives and tells them Justin found Leah. Ryder also arrives and says he’s left Evan five messages with no reply. Roo suggests he might be resting but Ryder points out he’s not at his van. Later, Colby chats to Leah and Justin outside the Diner. All Leah can remember of the robber’s clothes is that he was wearing a black hoodie. Colby says to get all the casuals in so he can take the fingerprints of anyone with access for elimination purposes.

Ari arrives home and asks Nikau if Tane was really with him the whole evening. Nikau admits he wasn’t, as Tane emerges from the bathroom. Ari thinks Tane asked Nikau for an alibi, which Nikau denies, and accuses him of being behind the robbery. They start shoving each other and Nikau shouts that they’re already at each other’s throats. Later, Ari accuses Tane of bailing again, then realises he’s gone too far and apologises. Nikau tells him they need to trust each other and also tells Tane not to let his pride rule him again. Before they can make plans, Gemma arrives back. She complains about Nikau not answering his phone and wants to talk about last night, apologising for how she handled it. However, Nikau walks out.

Ryder and Roo return home. Ryder hasn’t found Evan at Salt, the surf club or the beach and worries he might have collapsed and not been able to summon help. He knows he hasn’t left because his things are still there, including his medication. Roo says they’ll go to the Diner and look out for him along the way. At the hospital, Alf finds Evan being pushed in a wheelchair. Evan says he called an ambulance for himself. Alf wants to call Ryder but Evan doesn’t want Ryder to know he’s there, even after Alf says he’s worried. Freya cuts the conversation short to take Evan away. Alf dials a number on his phone.

At the Diner, Ryder is asking Colby about keeping an eye out for Evan, explaining that he’s sick. However, he then gets the phone call from Alf telling him Evan’s checked himself into hospital. He and Roo leave, with Roo apologising to Leah and Justin for not sticking around for moral support. Colby gets Leah to have her fingerprints taken first, using a machine to scan them into the database. At the hospital, Freya is settling Evan in bed. After she’s gone, Ryder, Roo and Alf enter, with Alf confirming he didn’t listen to Evan telling him not to call Ryder. Evan says he knew he had to get to hospital to have fluid drained from his lungs and didn’t want to bother them because he’ll be fine. Ryder replies that they all know he won’t be.

Nikau arrives home and Gemma reveals Ari and Tane went out to give them space. She says he shouldn’t have humiliated her at work but she handled it badly and apologises. Nikau says she doesn’t need to because he was out of line. Gemma understands why he saw her seeing Ben as a betrayal. She asks if anything else is bothering him and he says he just doesn’t like fighting with her. Gemma convinces him to hug her. On the beach, Ari tells Tane he brought the family there for a fresh start and now history’s repeating. Tane doesn’t think it is: They haven’t done anything, the police aren’t after them, and if they were they wouldn’t find anything. He tells Ari about Nikau trying to run away. Ari is annoyed Tane didn’t call him but acknowledges that since Nikau’s still there he must have sorted it. He thinks they need to keep an eye on him.

Colby has finished fingerprinting the other staff. He asks Leah if there’s anyone else who’s been there recently. Justin recalls Gemma. Colby says not to call her in, he’ll call round hers. He says the police should be finished soon. Leah contemplates opening up but Justin convinces her to leave it. He says he’ll tidy while she phones the locksmith. At the hospital, Evan admits the doctors have said he doesn’t have as much time as he thought: The cancer has spread past his lungs, there are too many tumours to operate and he’s too weak for chemo. He has months at most. Ryder says Evan’s staying at the house when he gets out, which Alf and Roo agree to. Evan is meeting the specialist that afternoon. Ryder says he’ll come back afterwards.

Ari and Tane arrive home and find Gemma and Nikau getting on. Gemma goes to get the washing in. Ari asks Nikau about him nearly running away but Nikau won’t talk about it and says he and Gemma are getting on now. Ari tells him he needs to either ask Alf for his job back or come work with him, since they don’t want the police to have a reason to come after them: He won’t let them be driven out again. Nikau goes to see Alf, promising he won’t let him down again. Alf says he’ll think about it. After Nikau has gone, Roo and Ryder come down. Ryder decides to go to the hospital to wait with Evan.

Ryder arrives at the hospital and asks Freya if he can sit with Evan. Freya says that Evan saw the specialist and discharged himself an hour ago. Outside the Diner, Leah and Justin tell Colby they’ll open up tomorrow. Colby admits they don’t have much to go on yet. Ari approaches and Leah tells him they’re closed. Colby asks Ari if he saw anything suspicious. Ari isn’t happy to be asked, despite Colby saying it’s his job.

Nikau gets off the phone and tells first Tane and then a newly-arrived Ari that Alf’s given him his job back. Ari looks as though he has a lot on his mind but changes tack when Gemma comes back in, saying they’re going to watch a game on the telly. Meanwhile, Leah and Justin arrive home. Justin offers to make tea. Leah asks if he’s having one and he asks if it matters. Leah asks him to hold her; he complies.

Ryder arrives at Evan’s caravan and finds it cleared out. Roo appears and Ryder asks if she’s seen him. He then realises where Evan will be and rushes off. At the Parata house, Ari and Nikau tease Tane, whose team is losing. There’s a knock at the door; Gemma answers it to find Colby, who surprises her by saying he’s not there for one of the boys but to take her fingerprints. When he says it’s voluntary, Gemma gives a blunt no and closes the door on him.

Evan is sat at the bus stop with a few other people. The bus pulls up and he prepares to get on but then Ryder arrives in his car. He says Evan’s been making all the decisions but Ryder’s decided that he’s not going to let him go.