Episode 468

Extended Summary

Martin has got the car ready while Greta is preparing the picnic basket. Although he is once again pleasant enough to Greta’s face, Martin makes it clear to Marilyn he isn’t happy about the situation or that people might think he and Greta are a couple. He tries to convince Greta they’d be better off going down the creek for privacy but she wants to go to the beach. Martin reluctantly agrees but persuades her to head down the coast to a secluded spot. Martin stops off at the store to buy some sunglasses and a large hat. Adam comes in and comments on seeing Greta waiting in Martin’s car; Martin says he’s just showing her the sights. After he’s gone, Adam tells Alf that Emma said Alf wanted to see him. Alf gives him the cheque for $2,500, then reminds him about his unpaid bill.

Fisher takes Ailsa home, where she is shocked by his revelation. He reminds her he’s kept it to himself for the past eight years but agrees to tell her the story. He says it was a hunting accident: When he first came to Summer Bay, he was considered pompous by the locals so his father-in-law tried to help him fit in by buying him a rifle so he could join the local club. Although Fisher disliked the idea, he went out on his own to try it out. Seeing some bushes move and thinking it was a rabbit, he opened fire and found a boy dead. He went home where Barbara talked him out of calling the police but then Al turned up, claiming he’d seen everything and would report him for murder. Fisher paid him off for a year until he went to jail for armed robbery. Now he’s back and wants $10,000.Ailsa tries to convince him to go to the police but Fisher doesn’t want to risk losing Bobby or being hated by Matt, explaining Shane was his brother. He reflects on how confessing hasn’t made him feel better and Ailsa notes she feels the same about her father. She says Bobby might surprise him and he needs to say something to her and Viv anyway.

Martin leads Greta to the far end of the beach, claiming it won’t be as windy there, and puts up windbreakers around them so no-one can see them, saying it’s for privacy. At the Diner, Matt and Adam accost Bobby, who has the day off, and invite her to go surfing with them. Bobby declines, since she’s busy trying to balance the books. Adam suggests getting some fresh air might give her a new perspective but Bobby is determined to get it finished. She asks Sophie is she wants to have a go but Sophie says she’s no good at Maths. Ailsa arrives back but dodges Bobby’s questions about Fisher, saying she’ll tell her about it later.

Martin and Greta are sharing their picnic and Martin is impressed with Greta’s cooking. Greta says her mother told her the way to a guy’s heart was through his stomach but didn’t mention it meant putting on weight. Martin tells her she’s fun to be around. Greta suggests they go for a swim and Martin agrees, until he sees Matt and Adam heading out for a surf nearby and hastily tells Greta they can’t because it’s blue bottle season. At the Diner, Bobby gives up on the books and decides she’ll sort it out at home. Ailsa warns her not to harass Fisher and says it’s not her place to tell Bobby what they discussed. Al arrives but Ailsa refuses to serve him and tells him to get out. Sophie looks on worriedly.

Down on the beach, Greta decides to try sunbathing instead of swimming but Martin, seeing Matt and Adam are some way out in the water, tells her there’s a storm coming and they need to get going, hastily gathering up their things. Matt and Adam see them and call out to Martin but he ignores them and tells Greta to keep going. As they’re driving home, the car suddenly stalls and Martin realises they’re out of petrol. Greta thinks he’s looking for an excuse to spend time with her. Martin makes several attempts to restart the car, complaining that he thought Lance had checked it. He thinks they should walk to the petrol station, ignoring Greta’s suggestion they go back to the beach for help. Greta flags down a car which turns out to be Matt and Adam, who are amused by Martin’s situation. They manage to refill the tank and get his car started. Martin follows them back to their car, making it clear that he and Greta aren’t going out, unaware that Greta has also come along to return Matt’s spanner and is standing behind him. After the others have gone, Martin tries to apologise to her but she seems utterly dispirited.

Ailsa drops by the store to order some supplies from Alf and tells him that she heard some kids talking about writing in to an unsolved crimes show about Shane. Alf recalls the incident and how no-one could work out how or why it happened, the only explanation seeming to be a thrill killing. He says the Wilsons were never the same afterwards and, if they ever find out who did it, half the town would be lining up to teach him a lesson. Meanwhile, Fisher looks over Bobby’s figures and concludes that she’s $31.04 out. Bobby thinks someone took $30 from the till and, although she doesn’t want to accuse anyone without proof, it happened the day Sophie started work. Fisher thinks she was bound to end up a thief living with Al, despite Bobby’s protests that she didn’t. Bobby wonders why Fisher’s so down on Al but Fisher says he simply doesn’t like him and the subject is closed. Bobby, however, doesn’t seem in any hurry to let it lie.

Sophie arrives home, having brought some leftovers for Al’s dinner. Al accuses her of talking to Ailsa about him but Sophie says Ailsa came home from Fisher’s in a strange mood. Al realises Fisher has told her and worries that she might have talked him into going to the police but concludes Fisher wouldn’t be brave enough. Sophie tries to convince him they should leave but Al says the party’s just getting started.