Behind The Smile...

[defying_gravity]

typical colleen timing haha..great chapter!

[rachel&kim]

Lol at Colleen! I knew Lewis wouldn't be all good Great chapter again, Can't wait for more

[WYN100]

**SORRY WAS A BIT SLOWER WITH THIS ONE !! **

**PART 16

Miles stood, yawned, and willingly surrendered himself to one of those elongated stretches that can exert significant pressure on any unwary weakest link in one's ribcage register before the yawn purrs down through the gears like a luxury aircraft completing an elegant descent. He'd been working hard to combine the day's usual regular demands with monitoring the search for baby Alice, so had welcomed the chance opportunity to lay down on the Caravan Park sofa and "take five", which he'd been glad t o expand to twenty or so.

He still had plenty to do on re-entering the woken world, including one self-imposed mental note to discover the truth behind Jas's high-profile re-appearance to the area. He'd heard considerable feedback from Belle's photography exhibition, including this situation involving Jas and Dom. He gave a knowing smile to himself - - one thing was for sure, when one was dealing with Jas, things were rarely simple, and almost never quite how they seemed on the surface.

His first task though was some maintenance and laundry collection around the caravan park, so with a burst of energy, he vaulted over the sofa - only thinking better of it as his jarred landing on tired ankles bought a grimace to his features as he headed for the foot of the stairs to seek his outdoor jacket.

Hearing the phone ring, he checked back and picked up the 'walkabout' handset.

"Helooo there - Summer Bay Caravan Park....?" he answered cheerfully - an emotion that was wiped from his face as efficiently and decisively as a raindrop by a wiper blade on the screen of a prestige car.

Cradling the receiver surreptitiously to his ear, and looking cautiously over his shoulder for any possible bystanders he hissed "..how the HELL did you get this number ?? - - - look, I've TOLD you....now you listen.... I SAID I've TOLD you... but that was what we SAID !!...."

Wiping a suddenly moist brow with the back of his hand, Miles subsided onto the nearest chair , and continued with an attempt at enforced pluck amid a sense of desperation suddenly rising around him, "Well I'M telling YOU we have NOTHING left to say to each other, so you can just....just..chew on that.....ok ??"

It was clear however that the message and meaning of the words were pitching far higher than the level of assurance with which they were being said. Miles's face had adopted an ashen hue, and the colour was set to drain from it still more comprehensively - - "No you will NOT come here..are you hearing this ?? I've made a life here and there is no WAY you are going to jeapordize that..... threat ?.. you take it as whatever the hell you WANT, but as far as I'm concerned , I live in TODAY, and you and everything connected with you belong to YESTERDAY - - END OF !!"

He angrily punched the 'end call' button and rammed the phone back in a cradle that juddered fretfully with the impact. Breathing heavily through his nose, Miles shaped to head in one direction, shifted course to grab his jacket, then swept out, hurling the door shut behind him, but failed to spot a thunderstruck -looking Alf Stewart hovering a few paces inside the kitchen door where he'd entered a few minutes previously ......

Jack had lain awake the entire night digesting the implications of the previous evening's explosive events. Firstly he and Harper had received the shokingly ominous news that the hospital abductor of baby Alice had been named as Kate Amery, a worker at the nursing home from where Zoe McAllister had originally choreographed her reign of terror on the Bay.

The two officers had then - in radio consultation with base - had made the decision to storm the dingy property at the end of Miller's Row. Guns at the ready they'd approached, entered, and on the count of three kicked open an upstairs bedroom door...to be met by a double shock....firstly, through an open door leading to a fire-escape exit they viewed a distinctive mustard-yellow car drilling its way clear past the lone travellers' caravan currently inhabiting the small common. Jack had clearly been able to discern Logan in the drivers' seat with a female. almost certainly Amery next to him. "Jack had unleashed his frustration at the " so near yet so far " scenario with a rasping "Damn !!...Damn it to hell !!". Thumping his fist against the fire-escape door frame he remained, staring with near mesmerised eyes at the scene of the escape , laid out so mockingly in front of him. McGrath would most certainly want to know why a target had dissolved from their grasp in such a relatively untroubled fashion - he'd want to know also why that most basic tenet of police observation work - guarding the rear - hadn't been observed, and now....

"Jack..."

He turned as Harper tapped him on the arm, and turned, mouth dropping open as he did, to observe three of the four bedroom walls festooned with blown-up photos ...of him ! ..they were taken in a variety of locations, clearly with long-range lenses, and showing him arriving at and leaving work, parking at the surf club and diner, and more worryingly again a number showing him off duty in the Yabbie Creek mall, cinema and bowling alley, plus some showing him inside his own house. To add further concern, on every photo, Jack's face had been obscured in full or part by a blood-red X , patiently and clinically inscribed with geometric precision. As he struggled to absorb the jolting impact of the semi-macabre display and its possible implications - one further shock. That was a reasonably large, colour photo , this time not showing him, but instead Martha, clad in a bikini-relaxing in her own garden at home - and also with the chilling red X planted with clear malevolent intent, directly across her facial features. The two officers had remained at the property for siome hours gathering forensic and DNA evidence before a later and fruitless search for the car - the registration number of which was already on police books courtesy of the hospital CCTV.

And so it was that they were at the Yabbie Creek station the following day, attempting to brainstorm their way to a conclusion through all the perturbing events of the previous day. Harper had once questioned Jack's decision not to clue Martha in on what they'd seen, - but ONLY once, as a waspish Constable Holden had informed him in no uncertain terms that there was no point in upsetting her before fully neccessary and that she was constantly surrounded by a ring of friends and family who could be relied on to look out for her and take any appropriate steps if and where they became neccessary. Harper had rolled his eyes but remained silent -the guys at the station were very well used to the Romeo and Juliet-style quality of the relationship between Jack and Martha - it could certainly be diverting on the slow days at work, but at moments like these, the whole complicated paraphernalia of it simply became rather too high maintenance for them- and at such times, seeking recourse in silence was frequently selected by them as the least complicated option .

Jack began drumming his pen on the desktop in a relentless and most definitely aggravating tattoo, until Harper was either on the point of an irritable demand for him to cease immediately - or quite possibly wringing the Holden neck - UNTIL - the door shot open to reveal Fitzy, in the process of donning her topcoat. "Jack - - it's Logan - -he's parked the car on that small old bridge near the railway cuttings...."

Jack was already swinging into operational mode - picking up and starting to buckle on his utility belt.

"And...?"

"Well, he wants you there... and Ric..."

"Ric,,?- does he know he's still in hospital..?"

Shrug, from Fitzy, but she concluded in shatteringly ominous fashion..."Jack - he says you two and ONLY you two...and he says if you DON'T come...he'll throw the baby off the bridge..."

The moment of collective silence then shared by Jack, Fitzy and Harper was solid and sufforcating enough to be cut into chunks by a knife...

Tony was feeling light of heart as he walked back home. He'd dropped his car off to the garage where Ric worked, for a scheduled service and the warm sun of the late afternoon allied to a pleasant cooling breeze was making the walk an all-round pleasant experience - something he should do more often, he told himself. He reflected with satisfaction upon how well things seemed to have gone with Rachel at the substance problem group - yes it was admittedly early days, but she could so easily have objected and resisted the benefits on offer - but that HADN'T happened and there was most definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

As he got to the end of the street, he clicked finger and thumb in annoyance - he'd promised to pay Geoff Campbell for some very useful odd jobs he'd completed around the house, but with one thing and another he'd forgotten to visit the ATM cashpoint machine - Geoff was due to come round after visiting Annie at the hospital and there'd be no way of putting him off now.. his face cleared after some moments of thought. Yes, that's right, there was always the "Rainy Day" box !! The "Rainy Day" box was something he, Jack and Lucas had instituted after the death of his first wife before they'd even moved to the Bay, and as the name suggested was somewhere they could head in any small. medium or large crisis need for cash, and it had continued to serve them pretty well from event to event right up to the present day, currently containing containing around $150-200 which he'd topped up just the previous day, easily enough to sort out Geoff's needs and have some remaining till he could next hit the ATM. The smile returned, as with that problem at least mentally sorted, the earlier pleasant ambience he'd felt, once again surrounded him.

Having opened the garden gate though, Tony was assailed by the kind of feeling one gets on waking up at the start of the day then after a pleasant 10 second stretch remembers with an arctic blast of reality that one has a dentist's appointment for uncomfortable root canal surgery. On this occasion though it wasn't some severe sub-reality dentist brandishing a needle that had waltzed across Tony's day - -more so a very real ex-member of the medical profession - one Mr Lewis Rigg. For the last hour or two Tony's subconscious had actually permitted him the luxury of forgetting about the lodger of whom he personally had not instinctively greeted with the most open of arms. That all-too brief reprieve ended with the sound of not one, but two voices emerging from an open side window raised high in uproarious laughter - - his brow wrinkled in a slight frown. Tony opened the door to see the aforementioned Lewis and another guy leaning against the breakfast bar, clearly in relaxed mode, though Lewis's face clicked quickly into a more serious and respectful vein once Tony had entered.

"Oh..oh hi Tony....this is Sebastian - he's from the group - - we..we were just discussing yesterday's meeting..."

Then substance issues must be a far more hilarious area then he'd ever previously realized..thought Tony, who managed to keep his features composed into at least the basic civility of host-like mode, as he shook Sebastian's hand and headed towards the living room.

"Seb was just leaving though..weren't you mate,,?" Lewis added, rolling his eyes in mock distaste as he went on " evening shift eh..who needs it !!?"

"Nice to have met you, Mr Holden, " was all Seb was able to manage before he slid out of the door, Lewis alongside him, muttering something about seeing him to his car.

With the merry-go-round of reservations about the whole Lewis scenario beginning to rotate at increased velocity in his mind, Tony was struck by the random memory dart that eludes the board altogether for so many of us - - Geoff ! Smiling at the minor but highly satisfying triumph of actually remembering the imminent visit, Tony reached across to the bureau desk, lifted down the front door section followed by the "Rainy Day" box - at which point the smile froze instantly like a snowflake in a Swiss mountain Valley. Shooting a rapid glance across to the recently-exited kitchen door , a new and very spiky reality struck him.....the "Rainy Day " box, which he'd added to only the previous day - was now completely empty......

[maccaz]

Wonder who Miles wis talking to.

Update ASAP.

[defying_gravity]

thanx 4 updating:) plz update again soon:)

[WYN100]

[

REALLY Sorry I've been so slow updating - prob no-one left ! ooer - anyway, thanls for reading if there is...

***PART 16

Measuring personal space, earshot and indoor geography was a fine art to Colleen Smart. On the delicious occasions that she held prize possession of a prime piece of gossip, having the 'victim' of that item appear at the Diner during her shift was almost too exquisite am opportunity to miss. If Colleen was at the counter. that effectively became her throne, and if the 'victim' sat in a seat that was arguably OUT of earshot, in her personal logic spreadsheet they were fair game to be talked about. However the minor distance problem entailed in that was more than adequetly compensated for by upping her volume level when they were the subject of conversatioon so it was all but certain they cold hear - - without her having been seen to offend beyond any overtly basic standards of ettiquette !

Colleen had returned agog with excitement from her shopping trip that morning - Madge Wilkins had been whisked by the hand through Top Sport at a rate that would have had any speed camera operator licking his lips to relieve her of 100 dollars and now there'd been a rare phenomenon indeed - that of Colleen arriving willingly early for a shift and stalking the diner floor like a snack-deprived lion sizing up its next a la carte. Two attempts to encage Leah and a rather flustered-looking Roman in her conversational net had failed to bear any fruit, but like the lion, Colleen was not to be denied, and as she once again assumed throne-like possession of the cash-desk counter, the afternoon's choreography moved more silkily than if she'd planned it herself. Firstly - the real prize - Sally entered, weary from a morning of election background research, and called over her order for a flat white. Then, from the furthest corner booth emerged Morag, files and folders from a morning's hard work in her preferred quiet corner of Summer Bay, and wanting to pay for her morning's fuel of tea and raisin toast.

Teeth duly sharpened beneath her metaphorical mane, she took Morag's money and went straight for the kill.

"So Morag, what do you think of that Josie Russell, back in the Bay ? - Brazen, I call it, absolutely Brazen !!"

Morag's customary malt vinegar features crinkled temporarily into something even more sour - firstly, she always had a profound distaste for being a pawn in Colleen's gossip-mongering chess games, but secondly the name she'd mentioned was one for which the legal exponent had, if anything, even less time.

Barely managing to repress her feelings on both elements, she responded stiffly

"As far as I was aware Colleen, Ms Russel isn't actually LIVING in the Bay, but somewhere in Yabbie Creek, and secondly to what BRAZEN act are you actually referring, if indeed any ?"

As that day's part-time duty waitress set Sally' s coffee cup down on her table in the previously referred- "audible - at a push" zone, Colleen zeroed in on her target. Sally's ears had already pricked up at the sound of her bugbear's name being mentioned, but was simultaneously determined not to betray any resulting emotion either to Morag or Colleen.

Bending her head theatrically forward Colleen prepared to deliver her knockout blow.

"Well all I can say is, she must be a very FORGIVING sort after all Jesse put her through at the altar, then.."

Morag cordially detested the way Colleen built up to her punchlines in these situations, so banged her fist irascibly on the counter, barking as she did, "Oh come ON woman - what actually IS it you're talking about . if indeed anything ?"

If Colleen's lean towards Morag was meant to indicate a close and more conspiratorial air, the strategic simultaneous elevation of her voice told a wholly different story

"Weel !" she said, elongating and savouring the moment to its fullest extent."...all I can say is that when I passed that Coffee Culture place, there she was inn the window with Jesse McGregor, KISSING - as BRAZEN as you like - and it WASN'T the sort of kiss you give tour Great Auntie Hettie. let me tell you that !!"

While Morag was temporarily stunned into a rare silence, Sally had heard enough. Swallowing the bulk of her tea in one, Sally made a mental note - enough was enough. But - she remained implacably unwilling to betray a drop of negative emotion to either of the protagonists at the counter. With a "lovely day. ladies !", she paid with the correct money and swept out But her mind was made up, and she believed in things happening for a reason. Not having been home to hear about the TopSport visit and chance encounter at Coffee Culture, she'd nonetheless decided - this whole Josie Russell thing that had invaded her life had to end, and end NOW. And she knew JUST the way to do it...

"Well I don't know that you had to phone the police IMMEDIATELY did you ?" hissed Rachel into Tony's ear as he stretched forward to plug in the kettle. "I mean he's only been here a day or so, and immediately it looks like we don't trust him !!"

Tony's tongue suffered major tooth-mark stress as he bit back - with some difficulty - his favoured and sincere response of "I DON'T trust him !", moderating it instead to a deceptively earnest "Well Rachel, that's the better part of 300 dollars gone missing - I HAD to do something,,,,?"

"Well you could have always consulted with me first !"

Tony spread his hands wide in a gesture of mock innocence.."DO you know where the money's gone...?"

Rachel rolled her eyes tolerantly skywards.."No of COURSE I don't you great doofus, but,,oh well, never mind...!" Turning away from Tony towards the sink, she gave a reasonably well-disguised wince. What she DID know was that any kind of conflict with Tony - no matter how slight - and that red-hot attack knife suddenly seemed to break cover and be wielded with increasingly hostile effect in the region of her cartilages...now WHERE exactly had she left those painkillers...?

In the next room, McGrath was methodically aiming questions at Lewis - "So Mr Rigg, can you tell me a little more about this...Sebastian..?....so you don't know his surname....?.....so was he...or you...alone for any length of time this afternoon...?

Lewis had sat absorbing the interrogation with earnest co-operation at least written on his features, but that ready, almost exaggerated air of helpfulness began to dilute somewhat when McGrath continued "Would I be right in saying you've ...ah...had a bit of a difficult time since leaving the hospital here...a few ..financial problems perhaps...?"

Features clouding, Lewis pushed himself erect in his chair and flashed back "Look, am I being accused of something here Sergeant McGrath ? Could there not be a whole variety of explanations for this money going missing..?"

McGrath's returning gaze was steady and unflinching for a full five seconds or so before making a brief entry in his notebook and responding "No Mr Rigg, no accusation- but I'm sure you'll understand we need to get a comprehensive background to what's happened.."

Realizing how his brief loss of equilibrium may have been perceived, Lewis quickly eased back in his seat, quickly replying "Of course Sergeant, of course, I perfectly understand..perfectly.."

McGrath was about to embark on another round of questioning when two sharp blasts on the doorbell, quickly followed by a third cut through their attention, bringing Rachel bustling out of the kitchen, hand held apologetically in the direction of the officer "Sorry Sergeant - can't think who it would be, I'll get rid of them as quick as I can." By the time McGrath had given her a "no problem, think nothing of it,," gesture by way of reply and Rachel had disappeared from view into the corridor, there'd been a fourth peal on the bell, and they exchanged slightly puzzled expressions echoed by the sound of Rachel's voice drifting back "Ok, OK I'm COMING !!, .."followed by a gasp and involuntary exclamation.."BRAD !! - what are YOU doing here...??!" Back in the living room, McGrath was already rising from his seat, a very determined expression on his face. Rachel's question was one to which he'd VERY much like to know the answer...

Having received the same radio alert as Jack about the Logan bridge-baby drama, Inspector Norris had wasted no time in heading to the old railway cuttings after taking the normal step for such situations of summoning an officer with expert sniper training from the city to the scene. He'd nodded approvingly on hearing the man available for the task was Operations Sergeant Andy Kerr, rated across the region as the very best and most efficient for the job. Indeed, and bearing in mind Logan's demand that only Jack and Ric should arrive at the site, Norris had sought out a description of the surrounding wooded hillside and its layout from Fitzy before leaving - and he'd not been surprised on arriving to find Sergeant Kerr already in place at the same clearing Fitzy had mentioned. After a series of sharp, brief introductory gestures to Kerr, Norris' eyes followed the line of his rifle barrel that was pointed through the thinly-shrubbed bush in front of him, down a quarter of a mile or so to the small, tight bridge where Logan's car sat, clearly waiting for Jack's arrival, presumably on the expanse of waste ground stretching further out of view still further and lower down than the bridge. Glancing at his watch, Norris gave an exasperated sigh, muttering "Where the hell IS he ?" under his breath. Kerr's gaze meanwhile remained trained, steady and unflinching on the bridge, until a moment or 2 later, an almost imperceptible stiffening of his shoulders told Norris the patrol car must have arrived. Craning his neck to view, Norris noted with approval that it had, though a slight frown displayed his surprise at quite how far away from the bridge it had actually parked. It was a warm afternoon and the sun was streaming across from left to right as they looked down, effectively straight into the eyes of Logan who'd got out of the vehicle on the bridge, seemingly grasping something - in all likelihood the baby - directly in front of him. Shielding his eyes from the sun he began to call aggressively down - "OK Holden, who's in charge NOW, you mongrel - eh ?? Come on out - NOW - AND Daulby - you'd better have brought him, or .." - he laughed unpleasantly - "...I think she may be missing the start of term at Kindy..are you HEARING me...?"

Up on the hillside Norris breathed a little more heavily - "what the hell's he DOING ?? Why doesn't he..."

"Boss..." breathed Kerr as he maintained the iron-clad grip on his gun - Norris eyes immediately swivelled back to the bridge - where the remarkable sight of - Jack - had slipped into view to Logan's right, where he was progressing via soft footfall towards the car, rightly assuming Logan's attention would be centred on the squadcar. Jack had skilfully and surreptitiously climbed an old maintenance staff ladder behind the other side of the bridge, and that plus the car acting as decoy had now moved him within a yard of the fugitive, before Logan, on hearing the faintest rustle, spun to his right, spitting " You lowlife filth, creeping up on me... I'll make you regret that.."

-but while the development placed Jack in the tightest of corners, Logan's shift of position now meant that high up behind him Kerr now had a clear view of Logan's back, with the baby - held in front of him, was now effectively out of range. As Jack began the high-stakes task of attempting to reason with the criminal, Kerr's grip on the trigger tightened, encouraged by a "Now, now !!" from Norris, who'd also immediately seen the chance offered by the shift of geography on the bridge. At the very worst moment however, Baby Alice - perhaps sensing the crackling tension thick around her, launched into a full-throated scream accompanied by a series of violent wriggles. As the shawl surrounding her began to dislodge threatened to slip from his grasp altogether Logan bent instinctively forward and down , again exposing Jack to the line of fire he had no exact idea was there..at the very same split-second a shot rang out - - and through the stillness of the afternoon came an extremely audible thud....

[maccaz]

Good work.

[defying_gravity]

awesome chapter plz update soon

[rachel&kim]

I'm still here! Still reading!! Brad's back! That's cool, can't wait to read more. Great update, thanks

[WYN100]

***PART 17

"So let's go over this again, Mr Armstrong.." McGrath was making no compromise to informality during the course of an interview that was already approaching the two hour mark. He'd attempted to contact Inspector Norris a number of times since their current main suspect for Henk's murder had effectively - and so surprisingly - delivered himself into his custody, but his mobile phone was switched off, and even more oddly there'd been no reply from his car via the police radio circuit either. Nonetheless there was no time to be lost, and McGrath had even found himself feeling a little inner glow of satisfaction that it would be he - and not the incoming city officer-who'd be starting the questioning off.

Brad gave a deep sigh, and ran his fingers through hair that had become matted with perspiration - a legacy not SO much of the day's sultry temperature, but of the uncomfortable time he'd spent having questions barked at him by a McGrath who seemed intent on proving a point to him of some sort .

"So when you left the Bay for Tasmania, things didn't exactly hit the hilights for you, is that right..?"

Brad exhaled an extended sigh of acute exasperation causing McGrath's top sheaf of documents on his desk to concertina outwards as if they'd been by an open window as the first act of an autumn thunderstorm was entering full swing.

|"YES - as I've told you more than once, the school I was at SOMEHOW found out about me supplying cannabis to Emily for pain relief AND about the whole Naomi Porter debacle - they let me go, and I had to survive through a steadily worsening selection of part-time jobs..."

"And you developed a drink problem...?"

Sitting up sharply, Brad banged his fist on the table, with a trucculent "NO !!... who the hell..."

"And maybe some moments of aggression with it...?"

Brad stopped short, eyeing the officer suspiciously - "Look Sergeant, what are you driving at with all this...?"

McGrath lifted one of the previously relocated documents, raised one eyebrow and replied "Oh, only a report from Hobart Police of you being arrested for a drunk and disorderly attack on a pub customer, another of a magistrates court appearance in Sorrell after a..."

"Alright. ALRIGHT !! " snapped Brad - so I got a bit down a few times, and...."

"Did you return to Summer Bay at any point subsequent to your leaving and our current conversation..?"

Brad eyed him warily, as if surprised by the question..

"....no, why do you ask........."

"Oh really ?? We have evidence to show that you did, and I wonder, was it to kill Henk Van Patten..?"

Brad's eyes bulged wide - "No it was NOT - I can't believe you're even ASKING me that....!!"

"Ah, so you DID come ?? - now I wonder why you'd deny that ?"

"Alright, ALRIGHT !!" So I DID come back- ONCE - but it was NOTHING to do with HENK , and I don't have to tell you unless you charge me, am I right..??"

"Well Mr Armstrong I do have to tell you I can see a case building up against you here minute by minute, and I DON'T think you're doing yourself any favours !!"

They lapsed into silence - Brad's sullen and brooding, McGrath's fronted with a questioning, slightly superior air. It became a three minute plus war of attrition that seemed destined to run indefinitely until the door opened to reveal Fitzy. She motioned as to whether McGrath wanted to come outside to hear the news she obviously had to impart, but he waved her in, and gave a gesture for her to proceed. She seemed as bemused as anybody by the nature of it, but carried on anyway... "Well Sir, I've got someone outside from Summer Bay who says he's got a VERY good idea of who may have killed Van Patten..... and it WASN'T Mr Armstrong here....!! As McGrath and Brad swivelled their heads collectively from her to lock glances over the table, the war of attrition had seemingly become a mirror of amazement.....

Martha had been enjoying a carefree afternoon's shopping in Yabbie Creek with the watchword both for her eyes and to a CERTAIN extent her credit card being girl-related indulgence. She'd rather enjoyed that 'moment' with Jack up on the hillside a day or two previously - whatever it had signified- if indeed it had signified anything ! But, it had brought with it and indefinable and vaguely infectious warm glow which had ushered in the trying on of many pairs of shoes, the use of copious perfume sampler sprays, and an EXTREMELY slinky little dress from the recently-opened fashion outlet MEGAWARE, an elite fashion store with prices to match that had recently swaggered its way into the mall. Attempting bravely to dull her mind to the rather elite price tag that came with the dress, she found her thoughts meandering - - Jack and she had had such great evenings out - Jack always liked her in red..Jack would..STOP !! the hammer came down hard and sharp in her mind - this was surely the ARCHETYPAL "don't go there !" scenario - - and she was glad of the distraction posed by the noise from her bag of the Take That mobile ringtone over which Jack had teased her mercilessly. Noting with some mild interest the appearance of Belle's name on the display window she jabbed the 'receive' buttons launching into "Hee-lo !! lady , you are SO missing a treat today- Ive got..What !!! ....when ??...Belle !!..Belle...!!" Mobile reception wasn't the best under the large, awning-style roof of the mall, but during the short, crackle-ridden, intermittent exchange there HAD been, she'd distinctly heard the words "...Alice..,,bridge...shot...hospital..and then the hand grenade that had blown shrapnel to every corner of Martha's mind.......Jack..!"

The dress that had bulged with enthusiastic ambience in the carrier bag at her side now seemed to hang limp and inappropriate at her side as she first stood - momentarily stunned - with the daily life of the mall flowing almost noiselessly- or so it seemed - around her. It wasn't long however before she was back in her car and striving to the very margins not to infringe the speed limit before finally, and with eerily little memory of the trip, slamming on the brakes in the car-park just outside the hospital and seemingly within seconds she was running towards the upstairs surgical area - and straight into the outstretched palm of a junior policewoman standing outside the closed door of the reception area office just behind her. Through the glass. Martha could see Inspector Norris, another officer she didn't recognize.... but no Jack..!!

"What the hell's going on ?? I heard something about a shooting ?? Was it..J..Jack Holden ??? Get out of the way - you've GOT to let me in there !!"

The constable wasn't to be shifted though -taking a half-step to her right to further cover the door handle she asked firmly " Are you family ?" Martha was about to reply, but halted as Norris's voice could be heard coming clearly from within "Well, we'd better damn well hope he survives !! - there's a stack of questions a mile high already, but if he dies..." The words turned the blood in Martha's veins to cloying, icy shards.

The other officer - who of course was marksman Andy Kerr responded with a characteristic short, economical nod, and replied "Yes, sir wrong time, wrong place really, and who could have seen that coming with the baby..?"

Martha suddenly became aware that her heart was thundering at an intense rate, as if in a bid to burst out from above her ribcage. As as turned again to confront the unyielding policewoman she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, and - leaping like a startled gazelle, twisted backwards, banging her head on the corner of the adjacent desk, and as she hit the floor, ...suddenly everything was black...

Josie entered the Coffee Culture branch just a little more cautiously than usual. It had become a regular stop-off of hers since returning to the fringes of the Bay, but she had to admit that entering there for a good plotting session with Jas felt considerably more comfortable than did this impromptu, off-the-cuff invitation, one that she was still attempting to get wholly to grips with. Smiling semi-theatrically at the girl at the reception desk, she was shown over to one of the high-backed alcove booths next to the long expansive main plate-glass front window, just one away from where she'd been spotted giving the "play kiss" to Jesse that had fuelled the majority of Colleen Smart's conversational repertoire to whoever she'd met in the last 36 hours from Father Johnson who'd succeeded Reverend Hall as the parish pastor right through to the man who delivered bread to the diner.

As prearranged, Sally was already there, stirring her cappuccino thoughtfully having just added a shimmer of chocolate sprinkles to the cream top-layer. Placing her hand to her mouth in mock guilt as Josie settled opposite her, she said " ooh now see, you've truly caught me out - my deep dark secret, just can't resist them !"

The other woman was about to respond with the obligatory meaningless and humourless titter so often employed in such situations, but Sally's tone suddenly ground through the gears into a conversational 90 degree turn that would have done credit to a molten steak-knife razing its way through a particularly flimsy pat of butter "...but of course you'd know ALL about that, wouldn't you...? - not being able to resist things , that is, - or perhaps PEOPLE would be more accurate in your case..?"

"Sally, I...."

Sally raised the open palm of one hand to halt her, continuing as she did, "Josie I asked you here because I thought some clearing the air would be useful all round - to kind of know what hymn sheet we're singing from, if I can borrow that rather odious corporate phrase ?"

Josie lapsed into an unfamiliar silence, in common with the overall prevailing atmosphere - Coffee Culture tended to be very quiet at this time, before hitting one of its busiest periods for custom as the local offices and other stores emptied out at the end of the working day.

"Shall I start ? " - and without waiting for a reply, she ploughed on. "Now, since you re-appeared.."

"You make me sound like an extra-terrestrial or something.." muttered Josie a little surlily.

Giving her a meaningful look at that interjection, she went on.."Since you re -appeared, precisely how many things have I actually done aimed at getting at or making life harder for you..?" She wrinkled her brow in mock effort at trying to solve the problem. "Oh yes, that's right, precisely NOTHING - agreed ?"

"Yes" responded Josie ungraciously.

"Whereas YOU - well, now where do I start - well, firstly you hook up with a HIGHLY dubious character like Jas Curtis - you and she try and work some fiddle with the estate agent to try and get the factory space Jess and I may be after - though who can IMAGINE what YOU two want it for, but anyway - - you also come to my house almost certainly at a time you KNEW I was out, you leave a completely fake note in his pocket that's meant to make me think you're having an affair, and then in this very shop you successfully engineer a situation where you're seen kissing him in front of the world and his wife hoping it'll somehow get back to me, and BOY do you hit the bullseye through Colleen Smart. Now I THINK that brings us up to date..you'd agree that list was all true, right.. ?"

"But Sally..."

Sally raised the palm again - "No Josie ie, this is cards on the table time remember - ALL the facts on the table so we know where we go forward from.. that was ALL true, WASN'T it..?"

Slowly, unwillingly and just about audibly, Josie's response was a grudging and rather lifeless "Yes", feeling a little treapped as she was by this extremely fired up inquisitor. Craning forward in Morag Bellingham courtroom style she probed "didn't quite catch that Josie -a tad louder, maybe ??"

Unwillingly, doubtless resentfully, but far more distinctly a decidedly sullen Josie responded "Yes, ok , yes - but..."

But Sally was already responding - "THANK you Josie, so good to get all that out in the open, but I think there's someone else who'd maybe like to hear that a ga in, and certainly WHY all that happened too.." Craning her neck round the side of the high leather-backed chair, she called "You heard all that ok..?" And as Josie's face nose-dived into a mask of quizzical amazement, standing at the side of the table looking at her accusingly, a hand on either hip and thunder-clouds gathering on her ever -angelic brow and flanked by tumbling blonde hair , was Josie's niece Tasha.... `