Episode 8602

Extended Summary

Justin and Leah approach the coffee cart, commenting on how a walk was a good idea. They’re greeted by Marilyn and Sonny. Leah checks Marilyn is handling everything all right, offering to come back to work, but Marilyn tells her it’s fine. Justin takes Sonny aside and asks about the record label. Sonny checks he really wants to hear before saying he’s visited the studio space and it’s going to be great once they get the equipment in. Leah looks at Justin thoughtfully.

Soon after, Sonny goes home to Dana, who rambles about how “she” has tracked down “them”. Sonny works out that she’s talking about Harper. Dana says she found out their father’s dead. Sonny tries to offer condolences but Dana is dismissive and mentions Harper saying she should have perspective. Sonny wonders why and Dana admits to having her own addiction issues.

Justin and Leah arrive home. Leah checks Justin is okay with not being involved with Remi’s record company. Justin says he hasn’t got the energy to commit to it. He mentions that he has his first session with his grief counsellor later. Leah obviously isn’t comfortable with the news. Justin suggests she come with him but Leah is adamant that it’s not for her.

Dana tells Sonny how she spent years trying to get away from her parents and once she did she turned to drugs to cope. Sonny thinks she should be proud of turning her life around. Dana thinks it’s down to Harper. Sonny says she helped but Dana did the work. He wonders if Dana’s worried she’ll relapse with her mother around. Dana says it’s not that, she’ll just never trust her mother around Archie.

Harper has Archie strapped into a chair at home. After distracting him with a toy, she gets out her laptop and, checking Cash’s record, looks up “John Warwick Matheson”. She finds a brief obituary saying he died aged 49, was survived by his wife Kerrie and daughters Harper and Dana and there’ll be no funeral. Back at the Diner flat, Dana muses to Sonny about how she ended up how she did when Harper didn’t. Sonny suggests Harper’s used to looking after people. Dana asks him for another beer but when he goes to the fridge he finds they’re out. She suggests going to Salt, saying she owes him dinner for talking to him all afternoon.

Lacey is just closing up at the surf club when Peter Rolfe from the Coastal News arrives. He calls her a hero for bringing down Craig Wendell and wants to do a profile on her. Lacey says she’s not interested and walks away. Mali watches from the stairs. Shortly after, she’s clearing up outside when Peter approaches her again. Lacey calls it full-on stalking. Mali steps in, telling him to go. Peter says he’s looked at the police report and there were gaps, which makes Lacey even more suspicious of him. He eventually leaves, with Lacey saying not to come near her again.

Peter goes to the police station and greets David by name, introducing himself and saying he wants to talk about Wendell. David says to e-mail any questions to the police media unit. Peter says he’d rather talk to the arresting officer, comments on David’s personal connection to the case and again mentions gaps in the police report. David refuses to talk.

Justin arrives home to find Leah scrubbing the fridge with the contents out on the surface. She says she found a spill and decided to do a deep clean as a distraction. Justin talks about his counsellor, saying she’s a good fit and advised him to think about Theo’s life instead of what happened to him, remembering him fronting Lyrik or surfing. Leah doesn’t seem to be listening so Justin gives up and goes and sits in the bedroom on his own. After he’s gone, Leah looks contemplative.

At Salt, Sonny asks Dana what she’ll do if Harper does track down their mother, saying they’ve been through a lot and shouldn’t let this come between them. Nearby, Lacey complains to David about journalists having access to police reports including her statement. David admits that Wendell’s a public figure and it’s of community interest. He comments on Peter talking about the personal connection. Lacey wonders how he knows David’s her father. David says it’s a small town and Lacey wonders who would talk to him.

Next morning, Alf and Leah are out walking. Leah talks about how Justin seems lighter after the counselling and how she doesn’t feel like talking about Theo to a stranger but she’s listened to what Justin said about remembering the good times. She says she needs to pick up Theo’s things, since Cassandra didn’t do it when she was there, but she doesn’t want to bump into Lacey. They see David, Lacey and Mali sat outside the surf club in the distance. Lacey isn’t comfortable with the way Leah’s looking at her and takes an offer from Mali to accompany him to Yabbie Creek for supplies.

Harper, with Archie in her arms, answers the door to Dana and notes she wasn’t expecting to see her. Dana says she doesn’t understand why Harper wants to see Kerrie again but has to move past that: It’s up to Harper but Dana says she can’t be a part of it and doesn’t want to know what she finds out. Harper asks what if their mum’s doing well. Dana says she cut their parents out of their life for a reason and it hasn’t changed.

David meets Justin at Salt. David wants Justin to ask Leah to tone down the hostility towards Lacey. Justin says he’s not sure he can, since he’s already tried. David asks him if he’s spoken to any journalists, explaining about the reporter from the Coastal News. Justin insists that neither he nor Leah have spoken to anyone.

Sonny is listening to Lyrik music at the Diner flat. Leah turns up and Sonny turns it down. She checks that Lacey isn’t likely to come home and Sonny explains she’s moved in with David because there were too many memories there. Leah recognises the Lyrik music and Sonny notes Theo would want him to turn it up and sing along. Leah turns it up.

Justin is at home when Peter knocks on the door and then walks in without being invited and introduces himself. Justin isn’t keen to have him there, especially when he starts asking about Theo, and tells him to leave. Peter does so, passing David as he arrives with coffees. David isn’t happy to find Justin with him, despite Justin saying it’s not what it looks like.

Leah and Sonny have piled up some bags by the door. Sonny produces Theo’s guitar and Leah recalls Justin giving it to him and saying music wasn’t a waste of time in their house. Sonny says Theo told him how he came to the Bay and she and Justin gave him a home. Leah breaks down in tears, missing him, and Sonny hugs her.